Crystal Palace 1–4 Manchester City

Premier League — Matchweek 2 | Selhurst Park | 28 August 2026

⚽ The match in 30 seconds

Manchester City made it two wins from two under Enzo Maresca with an emphatic 4–1 victory at Selhurst Park. Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki scored twice each, while Palace’s only goal came when Yéremy Pino’s free-kick struck the bar and went in off Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The scoreline looks comfortable, although Palace did have encouraging spells. The problem was that once City found another gear, Palace simply couldn’t live with their attacking quality.

📰 THE MEDIA VERDICT

The overriding message this morning: Manchester City may be changing — but they certainly aren’t going away.

The Guardian described the game as a City “cruise”, concentrating particularly on the combination of Cherki and Haaland and City’s ability to adapt following significant midfield changes.

Sky Sports reached much the same conclusion, highlighting the two-goal performances of both men and City’s second consecutive victory under Maresca.

The Telegraph provided perhaps the most interesting bigger-picture interpretation: suggestions that City would decline following Pep Guardiola’s departure look decidedly premature. Its analysis concentrated on how Cherki’s influence is helping Maresca begin establishing a City side of his own.

Media consensus: This wasn’t merely three points. It looked like evidence that the post-Guardiola transition could be considerably smoother than City’s rivals might have hoped.

🔥 THE BIG TALKING POINT

Is Rayan Cherki becoming City’s new superstar?

This was the story that really jumped out of the coverage.

Cherki scored twice and was central to City’s attacking performance. The Guardian emphasised both his creativity and his contribution without the ball, while Sky pundit Jamie Redknapp went considerably further.

He described Cherki as a “genius” who had produced a “masterpiece” at Selhurst Park.

That gives us our obvious…

⭐ MEDIA STAR: RAYAN CHERKI

Two goals. Creative influence. And rave reviews.

Haaland scoring twice would normally dominate the morning headlines. The fact that Cherki has arguably overshadowed him tells you just how impressive his performance was.

👏 ALSO GETTING THE PLAUDITS

Erling Haaland — two more goals and another demonstration of why City remain so dangerous. His opener was a header from Antoine Semenyo’s cross before he added another later in the game.

Enzo Maresca — two league games, two victories. More importantly, the early media narrative is already shifting towards how he is changing City rather than simply trying to reproduce Guardiola’s team.

😟 PALACE — REASONS TO WORRY?

This is the other side of the media story.

Palace showed promise but were too open defensively and failed to make enough of their better moments. They remain without a point under Pierre Sage after the opening two Premier League matches.

Even Palace midfielder Adam Wharton’s assessment neatly captured the problem: there were good moments, but Palace were “too open.”

At 1–2 there was briefly a route back into the contest. City emphatically closed it.

📊 THE FULL STORY

ONE-LINE VERDICT

New manager. New ideas. Same ominous Manchester City.