Cherki and Haaland doubles keep Man City perfect at Palace

Manchester City made it two Premier League wins from two under Enzo Maresca with a commanding 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, where Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland each scored twice.

Cherki and Haaland lead City again

City's new era under Maresca has begun with back-to-back league victories, and this latest success was driven by two standout attacking performances. Haaland opened the scoring in the first half with his first goal of the season, rising above Chris Richards to head past Dean Henderson.

Cherki then took centre stage. Wearing the No 10 shirt, the Frenchman produced the kind of dribbling run that lit up the contest, working his way through the Palace defence before finishing beyond a stationary Henderson to put City further in front.

It was the clearest sign yet of the attacking quality City can call upon, and it helped turn an initially competitive contest into one that increasingly tilted in the visitors' favour.

Palace threatened, but City had the answers

There had been encouragement for Crystal Palace early on in Pierre Sage's first game at Selhurst Park, but City were more clinical in the decisive moments. Palace did manage to find a way back into the match, briefly building some momentum and asking questions of the visitors.

That response did not last long. Just five minutes after his first goal, Cherki struck again with an ambitious effort that took a deflection on its way past Henderson, restoring City's control and taking the energy out of Palace's revival.

Palace continued to carry some threat, and their best opening fell to Tyrick Mitchell, who could not convert a close-range header. It was the kind of chance that might have changed the mood, but City remained ruthless.

An own goal and a late finish seal it

Another eye-catching moment arrived from Yeremy Pino, whose free-kick from 25 yards beat the wall and hit the bar before rebounding off Gianluigi Donnarumma. The goal was recorded as an own goal for the City goalkeeper.

Any lingering doubt over the result was removed late on when Haaland added his second with a powerful finish past Henderson, wrapping up a scoreline that reflected City's superiority over the course of the afternoon.

What it means for both managers

For Maresca, this was another encouraging step at the start of his time in charge. City have taken maximum points from their opening two league matches and already look capable of producing the kind of emphatic results long associated with the club.

For Sage, the search for a first win as Palace manager goes on. His side have now suffered consecutive defeats, and while there were moments of promise at Selhurst Park, they were ultimately undone by City's quality in front of goal.

• Manchester City won 4-1 at Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
• Rayan Cherki scored twice for City.
• Erling Haaland scored twice, including his first goal of the season.
• City have started with two straight league wins under Enzo Maresca.
• Crystal Palace have suffered back-to-back defeats under Pierre Sage.