Manchester City defeated Crystal Palace 4-1 at Selhurst Park on August 28, 2026, maintaining a perfect start to the Premier League season as Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki each scored twice. The victory leaves Crystal Palace at the bottom of the league table under manager Pierre Sage.
Manchester City put down a dominant marker in the opening weeks of the Premier League campaign, cruising past Crystal Palace with a convincing 4-1 victory. The win at Selhurst Park keeps the visitors atop the league standings with maximum points from their first two fixtures, while compounding early troubles for a home side still searching for its footing.
Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland Lead the Scoreboard at Selhurst Park
The scoring opened in the 17th minute when Erling Haaland rose above Chris Richards to head Antoine Semenyo’s cross over goalkeeper Dean Henderson. Haaland, sporting a black armband in honour of the late Norwegian King Harald V—whose death was announced earlier on Friday—later secured his brace in the 84th minute, meeting Phil Foden’s pass with a powerful left-footed strike that found the back of Henderson’s net. Haaland had earlier debuted a significantly shorter haircut after opting to trim his signature long blonde locks during the summer break.
Between Haaland’s bookend strikes, Rayan Cherki took control of the match with two goals early in the second half. Cherki doubled City’s advantage in the 54th minute by picking up Foden’s pass inside the box, weaving past several Palace defenders before finishing delicately beyond Dean Henderson with his boot’s outside. After Crystal Palace temporarily narrowed the deficit when Yeremy Pino’s free-kick struck the crossbar and deflected off Gianluigi Donnarumma for an own goal, Cherki immediately restored City’s two-goal advantage just three minutes later with Josko Gvardiol making the assist.
Cherki’s performance followed a campaign under Guardiola last season, during which the £30m signing from Lyon made 33 Premier League appearances, including 14 as a substitute. Moments after the final whistle, Cherki gave a colourfully uncomplimentary description of his own first-half performance during a live TV interview, prompting Erling Haaland to laugh alongside him as he waited to hand over the player-of-the-match award.
Jamie Redknapp, Sky Sports
Jamie Redknapp hailed Rayan Cherki as a genius after the match, telling Sky Sports: "Rayan Cherki painted a masterpiece. It was an incredible goal. He felt like the difference because the goals came at such an important time. He had such an amazing effect on the game. He is a genius the things that he can do with a football are just incredible." Redknapp added: "There is that balance and poise. When I was watching it, the first thing that comes to my mind is that there are not many Premier League players who can do this. In such close proximity, having the ball under such control and then still having such audacity."
Pierre Sage Criticizes Team Energy After Second-Half Substitutions
For Crystal Palace, the heavy defeat extends an unwanted record as the club finds itself rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table after suffering back-to-back defeats, having now lost its opening home fixture in 13 separate Premier League seasons. Manager Pierre Sage pointed to a stark drop in performance levels after he introduced second-half substitutes, including Dwight McNeil, Zavier Gozo, and Evann Guessand, in an attempt to inject fresh impetus.
"I think we were able to play 60 minutes, stayed in the game. When I made the substitutions, the energy of the team went down. I’m a bit angry with that. Both [at my team and myself], we are together. I’m with my team every moment. We had a lot of chances, it’s difficult to have hope against this kind of team without scoring."
Pierre Sage, Crystal Palace Manager
Sage’s welcome party at Selhurst Park was spoiled as Enzo Maresca’s side dominated proceedings. With England boss Thomas Tuchel watching on from the stands, Adam Wharton fed the ball to Eddie Nketiah during the game before City’s defense locked down.
Midfield Control and Upcoming Fixtures Before the International Break
Manchester City’s midfield dominance played a central role in breaking down Palace’s defensive organization. Elliot Anderson put in an influential display following his arrival from Nottingham Forest, showing glimpses of why City were willing to spend big to bring him to the club. After featuring in the FA Community Shield loss to Arsenal and turning in a strong 63-minute performance against Bournemouth, Anderson was superb in midfield against Palace, acting as a machine in duels and helping his team secure the 4-1 win.
Enzo Maresca made just one change from the season-opening win over Bournemouth, with Cherki replacing Rico Lewis. With two Premier League wins from two matches for the new City boss, Manchester City maintains its position atop the table heading into the next stage of the campaign.
