Manchester City have made another emphatic statement at the beginning of the 26/27 season, defeating Crystal Palace 4-1 at Selhurst Park to give Enzo Maresca a perfect start to his Premier League campaign.

Erling Haaland opened his account for the new season with two goals, while Rayan Cherki scored twice in an impressive attacking performance. Palace managed to get on the scoresheet through an own goal from Gianluigi Donnarumma, but City ultimately proved too strong for the hosts.

The result gives City two victories from their opening two Premier League matches under Maresca, while Crystal Palace are left searching for their first points after suffering consecutive defeats.

Haaland leads Manchester City charge in 26/27 season

The 26/27 season has already provided an encouraging start for Haaland, who wasted little time reminding everyone why he remains one of the most dangerous strikers in world football.

The Norwegian opened the scoring after 17 minutes, guiding a header beyond Dean Henderson after Antoine Semenyo delivered an excellent cross.

It was Haaland’s first Premier League goal of the campaign, having finished last season as the division’s leading scorer with 27 goals.

His second arrived six minutes from time, when he finished off a move involving Phil Foden to complete City’s four-goal haul.

The brace was particularly significant because Haaland had not scored twice in a Premier League match since December 2025.

He now has an impressive record against Palace, having scored 10 goals in six league appearances against the Eagles.

For City, having their leading striker firing early in the 26/27 season could prove crucial as Maresca attempts to build a team capable of competing across multiple fronts.

Cherki shines as City overwhelm Palace

While Haaland attracted the headlines, Rayan Cherki was arguably City’s most exciting attacking player at Selhurst Park.

The Frenchman doubled City’s advantage nine minutes into the second half with a superb individual effort. Cherki received the ball before dancing beyond a couple of challenges and producing a composed finish.

Just five minutes later, he struck again.

This time, his effort from around 22 yards took a deflection off Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards, leaving Henderson with little chance of preventing the ball from finding the net.

Cherki’s double demonstrated the attacking variety available to Maresca and provided another encouraging sign for City during the opening stages of the 26/27 season.

With Foden, Haaland, Semenyo and Cherki all capable of influencing games in the final third, City appear to possess considerable attacking depth.

That was particularly evident in a match that eventually became too open for Palace to contain.

Crystal Palace start brightly but fade

The final scoreline does not tell the entire story of Palace’s performance.

Oliver Glasner’s side started positively and created three attempts during the opening five minutes. Donnarumma was forced into an early save when he denied Eddie Nketiah after Adam Wharton split the City defence with an incisive pass.

Palace continued to threaten, and Tyrick Mitchell came close to equalising in the first half when he headed Wharton’s cross wide.

Nketiah also had another opportunity after the interval, but Palace were unable to turn their promising moments into goals.

Once Cherki made it 2-0, the contest began to move decisively in City’s direction.

Palace did pull one goal back almost immediately, but it came in unfortunate circumstances.

Yeremy Pino’s free-kick sailed over the City wall, struck the bar and then hit Donnarumma before going into the net.

The goalkeeper was therefore credited with an own goal, briefly giving Palace hope of a comeback.

That hope lasted only three minutes.

Cherki’s deflected strike restored City’s two-goal advantage before Haaland eventually added the fourth.

Palace face early concerns after second defeat in 26/27 season

The defeat leaves Crystal Palace with back-to-back losses at the beginning of the 26/27 season, a worrying start for a side that had hoped to build momentum.

Their problems were made more difficult by the absence of Jean-Philippe Mateta.

The Palace striker, whose future has been the subject of speculation amid interest from other clubs, reportedly suffered a hamstring injury in training and is expected to be sidelined for around four weeks.

His absence was particularly costly against City because Palace needed greater efficiency in front of goal after creating several promising opportunities.

Jorgen Strand Larsen replaced Mateta, but Palace struggled to maintain the attacking threat needed to challenge Maresca’s side.

The situation also leaves uncertainty around Mateta’s potential transfer, with the injury potentially complicating any move before the transfer deadline.

Maresca’s Manchester City project gathers momentum

For Maresca, the Manchester City win represents another encouraging step as he begins his reign at the club.

Two matches have produced two victories, while City have already demonstrated their ability to combine attacking quality with control.

There are still defensive questions for the manager to address, particularly after Palace created opportunities and scored through Donnarumma’s unfortunate own goal.

However, those concerns were overshadowed by the quality at the other end.

Haaland has opened his account, Cherki has delivered a memorable performance and Foden continues to provide creativity from midfield and attack.

The early evidence suggests City could be one of the teams to watch throughout the 26/27 season.

For Palace, the challenge is to respond quickly. For City, the challenge is to maintain this momentum.

After two games, Maresca could hardly have asked for a more convincing beginning.