Cherki scores twice for Man City but slams his own display as 'so s***' after 4-1 rout of Palace

Rayan Cherki scored two goals in five minutes to help Manchester City dismantle Crystal Palace 4-1 at Selhurst Park on Saturday, then immediately turned his player-of-the-match interview into a withering self-critique, telling the watching audience his performance had been “so s***”.

The 21-year-old Frenchman opened the scoring on 54 minutes, tiptoeing through the Palace defence before slotting past Dean Henderson to make it 2-0. When the Eagles pulled one back moments later, Cherki responded almost instantly with a fierce long-range strike to restore the two-goal cushion. Erling Haaland, who also netted twice on the night, completed the rout to seal a convincing opening-month statement from Enzo Maresca’s side.

Speaking at full-time alongside Haaland, Cherki refused to accept the praise being offered to him. “My performance is so-so,” he said. “In the first half, we didn’t find the space, I played so s***. When I see Enzo wants to change me, I don’t like that. I need to show them I want to play, I want to score, I want to give assists for Erling. Next time I want to give the ball around more.”

Haaland, visibly bemused, interjected: “Just say what you actually mean. You scored two top goals!” Cherki was unmoved, replying simply: “That is nothing. I want to give a goal for him.”

The exchange drew widespread attention not only for its candour but for the expletive delivered live on air — a moment that appeared to catch both Haaland and the interviewer off guard.

The result means Cherki has contributed two goals and two assists across his first two Premier League appearances for City, having set up both goals in last weekend’s opening-day win over Bournemouth. His rapid integration into Maresca’s system will offer City fans considerable encouragement, even if the player himself remains far from satisfied.

Cherki also used the interview to reference the club’s new era following Pep Guardiola’s departure. “Pep was a big story, we will start another story,” he said. “We want to prove it and are here for that.”