Joško Gvardiol’s backheel inside the Liverpool box was almost offhand. Rayan Cherki took one touch, sent a Liverpool defender sliding past him with a dummy, and rolled a left-footed finish beyond Alisson Becker on 78 minutes.
That was the third of three Manchester City goals in a 13-minute spell after Ryan Gravenberch had been dismissed for a second yellow, as ESPN reported.
Cherki arrived from Lyon in June 2025 for £34m on a five-year contract, according to Sky Sports. The 23-year-old has started every Premier League match of his first full season at the Etihad.
Four goals, 395 minutes
Cherki has four Premier League goals and two assists in six appearances this season, inside 395 minutes on the pitch. Only Erling Haaland (six) and João Pedro (five) have scored more top-flight goals, per Scorerstats’ live top-scorer table.
Read also: Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari troubles take worrying turn: “They’ve sort of lost trust with each other”
His chance-creation and touch percentiles sit in the top one percent for attacking midfielders in the division, per FotMob. His average FotMob rating is 8.04.
‘A future Ballon d’Or winner’
Former Premier League midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker told CBS Sports his verdict after the Anfield win.
“We are looking at a future Ballon d’Or winner, he has all the qualities and abilities to achieve it. He has the character, a personality, he is not afraid to dare and try things.”
“Football needs more Rayan Cherkis and fewer robots. He is the type of player who can make me pay to watch him.”
Read also: Luis Enrique is the biggest star at PSG, and the plan is built around him
Haaland remains the finisher at the Etihad, six-for-six in the Golden Boot race. Between him and midfield, Cherki is turning possession into chances at a rhythm no one else in the division is matching.
A hostile first match after the verdict
Sunday’s result was the club’s sixth straight league win and their first back-to-back league victories at Anfield since January 1953, per ESPN’s report.
It arrived in City’s first match since an independent commission found the club guilty on more than 100 Premier League financial-rule charges, a decision City have appealed, as Al Jazeera reported. Pockets of the Anfield crowd chanted “cheats” through the second half.
Read also: Cristiano Ronaldo row turns personal as Carragher attacks Piers Morgan: “An absolute phoney”
