Rayan Cherki wore his emotions openly after Manchester City's 4-1 dismantling of Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park — and it was that same unfiltered honesty, matched with two moments of breathtaking individual brilliance, that announced he intends to be a central figure in the post-Pep Guardiola era.

Standing alongside Erling Haaland ahead of collecting the player-of-the-match award, Cherki offered a bluntly self-deprecating — and largely unprintable — verdict on his own first-half display, prompting laughter from his teammate. His second half, however, left nothing to criticise.

A statement performance at the perfect moment

Cherki made 33 Premier League appearances in his debut season following his £30 million move from Lyon, but 14 of those came from the bench. With new head coach Enzo Maresca now in charge and City's attacking resources as deep as ever, the pressure to make a mark from the start was real.

He had already shown glimpses of his influence — coming off the bench to assist two late goals in City's opening-weekend win over Bournemouth — before an animated exchange with Maresca at full time. His reward was a starting place at Selhurst Park, and he seized it.

Nine minutes into the second half, with City leading 1-0 and Palace searching for a way back, Cherki received Phil Foden's pass on the edge of the area. What followed was extraordinary: a weaving, slaloming run through four Palace defenders, finished with a composed left-foot prod past keeper Dean Henderson. He celebrated by staring down the home supporters on the Holmesdale Road end — the arrogance of the very best.

After Palace pulled one back, Cherki again extinguished the home side's hope with a rising right-foot strike from 20 yards that Henderson could not keep out.

Maresca's verdict: complete in every sense

Maresca was effusive in his praise, making clear that it was not only Cherki's goals that impressed him.