Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland blow Crystal Palace away but Man City questions remain

Four goals, two devastating cameos, two wins from two. After a shaky start at the Etihad less than a week ago, Enzo Maresca ’s Manchester City side have announced themselves with an impressive 4-1 win over Crystal Palace . The opening week of the new Premier League season showed that no game is easy in this league, but City certainly made a Friday night at Selhurst Park look simple. While the win against Bournemouth at the Etihad saw a sigh of relief at the final whistle, this was the kind of night where City fans probably wanted the game to last all night, with Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki providing the goals in an attacking performance that was scintillating at times. Haaland's second goal sealed the result and put the sparkle on a 4-1 win (Getty) It might be the first season in 10 years without Pep Guardiola at the helm, but this was a victory that felt familiar in so many ways, not least because of the sight of Haaland scoring a brace. Palace had looked the more confident of the two sides as the game got underway but it was City who should have opened the scoring early on, Haaland unable to bundle over the line with Dean Henderson sprawling after making a save. The hosts kept coming as they looked to punish a shaky City start, but nobody was able to find the final ball. It had all been going to plan for Pierre Sage on his home debut, but it would not be long before he got a harsh dose of Premier League reality. For all the talk of personnel, systems and signings, City provided a reminder that sometimes there is little you can do against star talent. The first reminder came in the 17th minute, as Palace went behind in the blink of an eye. Haaland's header sailed over a helpless Henderson as City opened the scoring (Getty) Antoine Semenyo picked up the ball on the left wing, and with the home defence affording him too much space, he picked out a superb cross, with Haaland in the middle to cushion an impressive header over a helpless Dean Henderson. As expected, City settled into a rhythm from there. They were controlling the game and for a while Palace were nearly a non-entity in attack, the Eagles waiting roughly half an hour between touches in the box before Jorgen Strand Larsen and Tyrick Mitchell both went close within minutes of each other. Half-time came and went and Maresca will likely have been irritated that his side were not already out of sight. Thankfully for him, they did not have to wait long before they had breathing space, with a devastating five-minute flurry from Rayan Cherki all but securing the result. City had been guilty of missing a few gilt-edged chances but they finally doubled their lead within 10 minutes of the second half starting, Cherki receiving a pass from Phil Foden before darting past a couple of desperate challenges and sliding an inventive finish past Henderson from close range. Cherki's first goal was the moment of the night, the Frenchman skipping past two challenges before sliding past Henderson (Getty) For a few moments it felt like that might be that for Palace, but they found a lifeline through a brilliant free-kick, Yeremy Pino’s effort beating Gianluigi Donnarumma before it came back off the woodwork and then off the Italian for 2-1. It injected life into Selhurst Park but that too was to be short-lived. Cherki popped up again, this time lashing in a drive from outside of the area courtesy of a handy deflection off Chris Richards. City knew they had Palace where they wanted them, toying with the hosts at times before Haaland put the finishing touches on the result, rifling past Henderson from close range after another intricate passing move. It was an impressive attacking performance in Maresca’s second competitive match in charge, with the Italian making a solid start to life back at City after two opening fixtures that were potential early stumbling blocks. City now have two wins from from two games against two clubs coming off the back of record successes last season. Cherki’s brace sealed the win on a night where Ayyoub Bouaddi also made his debut (Getty) Bournemouth proved last week that they’ll be difficult customers under Marco Rose, while Palace played good football at times, but were undone by a lack of quality in the final third. Several big sides will struggle against both this season; City have six points from them. Of course, City are by no means the finished article. You expect Maresca will be concerned with the chances and half-chances that City gave away – Palace did not have enough to punish an open City midfield on the counter, and every Eagles attacker who started the game was guilty of wasting a promising opening at some point. City’s defensive unit, despite being impressive on paper, does not seem to have gelled yet either, with the caveat that they are sometimes left a little exposed by the teammates ahead of them. It’s early days yet, but you suspect they wouldn’t yet be totally confident if facing the likes of PSG, Barcelona or indeed Arsenal. However, this is a City side that knows they have the talent to beat anyone on their day, and with the likes of Haaland, Cherki and Foden, they could well be one of the most entertaining teams on the continent this season. Whether City will have enough to mount a real title challenge remains to be seen, but after an opening weekend where only one side stood out, Maresca has certainly given Mikel Arteta something to think about.