Rayan Cherki produced plenty for City supporters to enjoy during Friday night’s 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace.
The Frenchman scored twice in five second-half minutes at Selhurst Park, with his first a brilliant individual goal after weaving his way through the Palace defence.
His celebration also caught the eye.
Cherki grabbed the City badge on his shirt and displayed it towards the crowd, providing an image that quickly began circulating on social media.
But his entertainment value did not end with the final whistle.
Cherki leaves Haaland laughing
Despite being named Player of the Match, Cherki was remarkably unimpressed with his own first-half performance.
“My performance was so-so,” he told Sky Sports.
He then offered a rather more colourful assessment, admitting: “I played so s***.”
That immediately left Erling Haaland laughing alongside him and forced Sky to apologise for the language.
There was a more significant point behind Cherki’s frustration.
The 23-year-old revealed he had realised Enzo Maresca was considering replacing him and was determined to show his manager he should remain on the pitch.
He certainly did that.
Cherki scored twice after the interval, taking his tally to four goal involvements in City’s opening two Premier League matches after providing two assists against Bournemouth.
Maresca was particularly pleased with the other side of his performance, describing Cherki’s display as “complete” and praising his work without the ball.
The goals will inevitably dominate the highlights.
But between the badge celebration, his brutal assessment of his own performance and Haaland’s reaction, City supporters also saw a little more of the personality behind them.
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