Cherki's five-minute masterclass leaves Maresca with a welcome selection dilemma

Cherki's five-minute masterclass leaves Maresca with a welcome selection dilemma

There are moments in a football season when a player stops being a promising talent and starts being the reason you cannot leave him out. Rayan Cherki may have just had his.

The 23-year-old scored twice in the space of five minutes to turn a tight contest against Crystal Palace into a comfortable-looking 3-1 lead, and in doing so handed Enzo Maresca the kind of problem every manager secretly wants.

Erling Haaland had put City ahead in the 17th minute, converting to give the hosts the lead, and that was how it stayed at the break. An entertaining first 45 saw both sides threaten in an intense attacking contest, but the scoreline remained 1-0.

Then came the Cherki show.

His first, in the 54th minute, was all close control and quick feet, a cheeky finish inside the box to double the advantage. Palace, to their credit, responded almost immediately. Two minutes later Yeremy Pino's stunning free-kick bounced off Donnarumma's back and into the net, officially recorded as an own goal but carrying all the hallmarks of a striker's finish.

Order was restored three minutes after that. Cherki picked the ball up outside the area, found a yard of space, and unleashed a powerful right-footed strike from distance that flew straight into the net. Two goals in five minutes, and City's two-goal cushion was back.

The performance will only add to the noise around the Frenchman. He had already provided two assists from the bench against Bournemouth, helping City complete a dramatic late comeback. Now he is scoring goals like this.

Maresca, presumably, will not mind the headache.