Cherki and Haaland double up in Manchester City cruise at Crystal Palace | Premier League

All who attend the Rayan Cherki show know the ticket comes with a guarantee of entertainment. Enzo Maresca, a manager famed for his obsessive positional control, does not need to put limits on the Manchester City wizard. Cherki has to feel free and he was at his creative best against Crystal Palace, who were in this game before City’s creative heartbeat took it away from them in the second half.

It has been a fine start to the former Lyon player’s second year in England. Cherki was inspired against Bournemouth last week, coming off the bench to spark City’s fightback with two assists, and this was better. The Frenchman scored twice and the first, a little prod with the outside of his left foot after a mazy run, left you wondering if you have seen something like it before.

Palace, stuck on zero points despite playing well in their first two outings under Pierre Sage, did not have an answer to Cherki’s magic. They were also stung by a clinical double from Erling Haaland, who is up and running for the season, and Maresca can feel his post-Pep team have moved on from the Community Shield debacle.

City got away with one against Bournemouth, leaving it late before winning on the opening weekend. A challenge for Maresca is working with an incomplete midfield following the exits of Rodri and Bernardo Silva. Ayyoub Bouaddi has arrived from Lille, £86m an eye-catching fee for an 18-year-old after his exploits for Morocco at the World Cup, but there is room for one more and there is no doubt Maresca will feel more at ease if a deal to sign Enzo Fernández from Chelsea can be agreed before Tuesday’s deadline.

Not that anyone is going to argue that City are short on midfield options. Maresca, ever the tinkerer, shuffled the pack again. The experiment with Marc Guéhi in the engine room was discontinued, allowing him to slot into central defence against his old side. Elliot Anderson was the sole pivot, Nico O’Reilly pushed high in a 4-1-4-1 system and Josko Gvardiol inverted from left-back, much like Marc Cucurella in Maresca’s Chelsea side.

There are subtle tweaks to the Guardiola template, though some things never change. City found their groove after a fast start from Palace and went ahead in the 17th minute. Antoine Semenyo had time to cross from the left and Haaland, who has found the back of the net in all six of his league appearances against the south Londoners, was given space to loop a clever header over Dean Henderson.

Palace have had an uncertain summer. They were arranged in familiar fashion, Sage sticking with Oliver Glasner’s 3-4-2-1, but some key faces have gone and others were missing.

It fell to Jørgen Strand Larsen to lead the line in the absence of the wantaway Jean-Philippe Mateta, who may be out for four weeks. Ismaïla Sarr, keen to join Galatasaray, was also unavailable and Daniel Muñoz was on the bench amid suggestions of interest from Nottingham Forest. Frailties were to be expected. The defence has lost Maxence Lacroix, sold to Chelsea, and City found gaps before and after Haaland’s opener. Phil Foden ballooned a chance and Anderson and Semenyo tested Henderson.

It was an entertaining game. Sage likes to play on the front foot and Palace were adventurous when they had the ball. Adam Wharton, subject of a failed enquiry from City recently, swept a ball through for Eddie Nketiah to test Gianluigi Donnarumma in the second minute. Daichi Kamada then had a shot deflected over, before Tyrick Mitchell fluffed a header after more enterprising play from Wharton.

Although Palace needed to show more quality they were exposing gaps in City’s set-up. The second half started with Nketiah jabbing wide from close range. Danger lingered at the other end, though. Semenyo almost surged past Anan Khalili and the second goal arrived thanks to a stunning piece of skill in the 54th minute.

City pressed to win possession, O’Reilly and Foden hustling Kamada. Foden advanced and Cherki took over. The Frenchman danced in from the left, danger rising as he wriggled into the area. A host of Palace defenders were thrown off balance, unable to live with Cherki’s footwork and close control. Expect the unexpected. Cherki floated past Jaydee Canvot and held off Chris Richards. For a moment the ball seemed stuck under his feet but he used Takehiro Tomiyasu as a shield and came up with a finish that was less poke and more dab, leaving Henderson rooted to the spot as the ball rolled tantalisingly over the line.

There was more to come. Palace grabbed a lifeline three minutes later, Yéremy Pino’s free-kick hitting the woodwork and bouncing in off Donarumma for an own goal, but Cherki was in his element. He took over again in the 59th minute, finding a pocket of space on the right before thrashing a shot past Henderson, who was deceived by a slight touch off Richards.

City sent Bouaddi on for his debut, the £116m Anderson withdrawn. They wanted more. Foden, catching the eye in front of Thomas Tuchel, released Haaland and the Norwegian bashed in the fourth goal.