Manchester City strike four at Selhurst Park to leave Crystal Palace pointless

Manchester City made it two wins from two in the new Premier League season as Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki both scored twice in a 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Friday.

The result lifted Manchester City to six points and put them temporarily top of the table under manager Enzo Maresca. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, remain without a point after following up their opening-day 2-0 defeat by Everton with another loss, leaving them bottom of the standings.

Haaland gave the visitors the lead in the 17th minute, rising to meet a cross from Antoine Semenyo and directing a header beyond Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Manchester City controlled the contest for long periods after going ahead, but Palace remained within touching distance until Cherki doubled the advantage nine minutes into the second half.

The France international collected a pass from Phil Foden before driving into the penalty area. He evaded several defenders and finished with his left foot into the bottom corner to register his first goal of the match.

Crystal Palace responded only two minutes later with a goal that came through an unfortunate sequence for the visitors. Yeremy Pino’s free-kick struck the crossbar before rebounding onto Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and ending up in the net.

The goal briefly gave Palace hope of mounting a comeback, but Cherki restored Manchester City’s two-goal cushion in the 59th minute.

This time, the midfielder found the net from outside the penalty area after receiving a pass from Josko Gvardiol. His shot left Henderson with no chance and gave Manchester City renewed control of the match.

Haaland completed the scoring six minutes from time to match Cherki’s personal tally. Foden played a key role again, accelerating forward before supplying the pass for the Norway striker, who produced a powerful finish from close range.

Manchester City had opened their campaign with a 2-1 home victory over Bournemouth and have now followed that result with a convincing away win. Their six-point total places them at the top of the table for the time being, with the remainder of the second round of fixtures still to be played.

For Palace, the defeat compounds their difficult start. Oliver Glasner’s side had already lost 2-0 at Everton in their opening match and were unable to contain Manchester City’s attacking threats after conceding the first goal.

Haaland’s two finishes and Cherki’s double provided the decisive difference, while Foden contributed to both of Manchester City’s second-half goals. The visitors’ four-goal performance ensured they left Selhurst Park with a comprehensive victory and maintained their perfect beginning to the league season.