Key events
Elliot Anderson, City midfielder, is next to speak:
I enjoyed it today, I’ve had a few more sessions. I feel like I’m getting better. I’m always nervous when I go on the pitch but my first start at the Etihad was pretty special. It’s a big price tag, which everyone is going on about, but I’m just trying to do my best. Just trying to learn on the job. An era has come to an end at City and there’s a new one now.
Watching Cherki and Foden, I’m so happy to be playing with them rather than against them. The talent is scary.
Jacob Steinberg’s match report from Selhurst Park
“Just the two goals for the big Viking tonight?” teases Justin Kavanagh. “He’s just not the same since he lost the hair.”
Yep, I think we can put those Samson-esque theories to bed now.
Erling Haaland, City goalscorer, speaks to Sky Sports:
We’ll be back, we just need a few games. We played well. It’s a new manager but we’ve been playing together. We have to trust the system and trust Enzo.
We have so many good players so we have to fit everyone in. Phil [Foden] has to work hard like everyone else. This was a good start. Elliot [Anderson] was also incredible.
City’s Rayan Cherki, player of the match, also speaks:
My performance was so-so, because in first half we didn’t find the space and I played so shit. I looked to Enzo and I knew I needed to change it for the second half.
Full-time: Crystal Palace 1-4 Manchester City
Cherki and Haaland, two goals apiece. Two players that Palace can only dream of.
90+4 min: City have enjoyed 78% possession in this second half. Palace have not laid a glove on the visitors since Cherki scored City’s third just before the hour.
90+2 min: Bouaddi threads a lovely pass through to Semenyo, but the Ghanian international can’t make the most of it.
90 min: Five minutes added on. Palace’s next two matches are, mercifully, Fulham and Ipswich, although of course there is no guarantee of points from those two matches.
89 min: City make their final changes. Khusanov and O’Reilly are replaced by Vitor Reis and Kaden Braithwaite.
87 min: After a poor Community Shield and a fortunate win over Bournemouth, it’s difficult to know if City have motored into gear here? Or if Palace are just not very good? Maybe Oliver Glasner knew something we didn’t.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-4 Manchester City (Haaland 85)
He’s barely had a kick all game, but Haaland has two goals. Foden, now playing in the No 10 role with McAidoo wide right, has had a mixed match but really excels here, carrying the ball into the Palace area and perfectly feeding Haaland. The weight of pass onto the striker’s left foot is **chefs kiss* and although it is an acute angle, Haaland arrows his shot into the roof of the net to render Henderson helpless. FINISH.
83 min: McAidoo almost makes an instant impact. The City academy graduate, who has absolutely tore things up at youth level, nearly scores a sensational solo goal in his first two minutes of Premier League football. McAidoo carries the ball a full 40 yards from the half-way line, cuts inside Disasi, and fires juuuuuuuust wide. So close.
81 min: Yet more subs: Anderson and Cherki off, Bouaddi and McAidoo on. Both City subs are making their Premier League debuts.
79 min: Here comes Ayyoub Bouaddi. The £85m City teenager is receiving his final instructions from the coaches.
77 min: Yes, this is Manchester City, but one worries for Palace this season, particularly if they lose Mateta, Sarr and Munoz before the window shuts.
75 min: Both teams make substitutions.
Palace swap Khalaili and Tomiyasu for Axel Disasi and Mingueza. Khalaili actually took too long getting off the pitch – 24 seconds – so Palace are penalised and Mingueza is prevented from coming on. That’s new in the rules, players have to get a move on. Palace are playing with 10 men for a minute, as Mingueza waits for the ball to go dead. Boos around the stadium but rules are rules.
City bring on Kovacic for O’Reilly.
73 min: “Rayan Cherki has transformed into peak Maradona,” emails Gary Naylor.
Steady on.
71 min: Palace are really missing Sarr (or a ball-carrying wide man … Eze, Olise, Zaha) this evening. Semenyo has been that direct threat for City, and his ability to scare teams in behind has also opened the spaces in front of Palace’s defence, for Cherki etc.
69 min: Two more changes for Palace: McNeil and Zavier Gozo are on, Pino and Nketiah are off.
68 min: Yellow card for Khalaili, who comes through the back of Semenyo.
66 min: Chance for Palace! Guehi mis-controls the ball and Pino canters into open space. Palace are queuing up at the back post – Nketiah and Guessand free – but Pino overcooks the cross. Again.
63 min: Palace with their first change: Evann Guessand for Jorgen Strand Larsen. Not a good night for the Palace striker, who has generally struggled since his big-money move from Wolves.
61 min: That is a devastating blow for the home side. The crowd really reacted to that Palace goal but the air has completely gone out of the stadium now. City can play keep ball, unless Palace can muster another response.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-3 Manchester City (Cherki 59)
City instantly regain their two-goal lead! Cherki pops up in a pocket of space, and lets fly from the edge of the box. His shot takes a small deflection off Richards, but it’s enough to beat Henderson, and the ball finds the far corner. Wow! What a game the Frenchman is having. Nonchalant brilliance.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester City (Donnarumma OG 57)
Direct from the free-kick, Palace have their first goal of the Premier League season! Pino takes the free-kick he won, and curls a delicious shot towards the top corner from 30 yards … the ball clatters against the crossbar, rebounds off the diving Donnarumma and rebounds into the net! Game on!
56 min: Yellow card for Anderson, who trips Pino.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-2 Manchester City (Cherki 54)
An impish, delightful finish! How on earth has Cherki scored that. Palace gave the ball away carelessly in midfield and City pounced, Foden picking up the ball. He fed Cherki, who kept his balance, somehow darting around three Palace defenders and poked his finish past Henderson. The ball rolled slowly, tantalisingly, into the net, as if Cherki was deliberately taking the micky.
53 min: Semenyo has been City’s biggest threat in open play, but Khalaili has done a good job in neutralising the City winger. There hasn’t been much attacking thrust from Palace’s new man, but he’s had his hands full.
Chance for Nketiah!
51 min: Nketiah, playing off the left tonight, drives forward, plays a one-two with the underlapping Mitchell, but can’t find a finish. Mitchell fizzes a pass/cross across goal and it came at Nketiah too quickly. The forward couldn’t sort his feet out and his finish was well wide.
49 min: Corner for City. In the middle Haaland and Strand Larsen are wrestling each other for space, speaking (presumably) Norwegian to each other. Both are smiling, ear to ear. A deep corner is delivered to O’Reilly at the back post, but Cherki can’t make anything of it.
47 min: No changes from either side. Foden continues to look uncomfortable on that right flank. He is not a winger, we know this, and it’s not a surprise to see City linked with Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye after the departure of Savinho. City have also agreed a €37.5m (£34m) deal for the Palmeiras winger Allan Elias on Monday, and are monitoring Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo.
Peeeeeeeeeep!
We are underway again in south London.
“I narrowly avoided being knocked down by three cars in 90 seconds on my motorbike today,” emails Paul Moody. “I live in Brazil so I’m just wondering have I used all my luck or can Palace win this game 2-1?”
Half-time reading: Barney Ronay on Manchester City academy graduate Cole Palmer.
Got a minute to spare? Why not try our daily Premier League trivia game, On the ball? Every day a star player past or present is hidden behind nine clues. How many will you need to identify them? It’s available in the Guardian apps.
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Half-time: Crystal Palace 0-1 Manchester City
The score is a fair reflection of the half.
45+1 min: Cherki gets a snapshot off from the edge of the box, but Henderson is equal to it in the Palace goal. It didn’t quite find the corner.
45 min: One minute added on for stoppage time. Pino has been particularly wasteful with the ball for Palace.
43 min: Foden is back on the right wing and beats Mitchell with a bit of trickery, but Haaland can’t get his header right in the middle. Wharton is back on, so Palace are back to full strength.
41 min: Good battling by Wharton, who takes a whack for his troubles. The former Blackburn man gets gingerly to his feet, but he’s OK. Serves him right for having such tiny shin pads. In the stands, sitting just above Palace chairman Steve Parish, a pensive Thomas Tuchel looks on. Wharton will have to go off for a minute as part of the new rules: when play is stopped for an injury, players will be required to leave for at least one minute (an increase from the 30 seconds previously used by the Premier League).
