‘Proper Barclays’ – Man City fans in complete awe of what ‘beautiful’ 104-touch ace did vs Sunderland
Pep Guardiola’s side put aside defensive concerns as Man City secured a simple 3-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday.
Gianluigi Donnarumma was still called upon following a slip-up at the back, but the Italian international was far less busy after conceding a total of six goals against Leeds United and Fulham.
Despite another blank from Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and Phil Foden were all on the scoresheet, with Rayan Cherki pulling all the strings from the centre of the park.
The Black Cats’ struggles were summed up when Luke O’Nien was given his marching orders in added time after scything down Matheus Nunes on the flank.
Cherki was named as City’s Player of the Match, unsurprisingly, and fans were completely dumbfounded by one specific moment at the Etihad Stadium.
Rayan Cherki creates a ‘beautiful’ moment against Sunderland
As well as grabbing the assist for Dias’ Vincent Kompany-esque strike, he chipped in with another goal contribution, putting the ball on a plate for Foden with a rabona from the edge of the penalty area.
It is safe to say that the supporters could not quite believe their eyes.
As well as being labelled “beautiful” and a “magician”, one supporter claimed that he had “the whole stadium on their feet” and Guardiola will now struggle to drop the Frenchman.
- @AdamSalkie: “Absolutely brilliant, eh, Brian. Just like you provided here, it was football with a smile. Cherki has a touch of the Rodneys, doesn’t he? And he can bring us the amazing joy that RodneyMarsh10 did.”
- @Alfie_4k: “Cherki had the whole stadium on their feet.”
- @AmerucanWizard: “Cherki, my favourite, and brother Foden. The league is ours this season.”
Cherki’s standout performance in numbers
As well as assisting two goals, the 22-year-old created six chances, had two shots of his own, 104 touches, completed five dribbles, made six recoveries, and also entered into 14 ground duels [FotMob].
While fans were obviously stunned by his ability on the ball, his overall graft in the defensive part of the game should make him undroppable, or at least give the manager something to think about.
He has only started five of the Citizens’ Premier League matches so far, but if he continues creating the good, having notched three goals and six assists in all competitions, he will become an integral part of the team.
Bernardo Silva, Jeremy Doku, and Nico O’Reilly have been carrying the torch, so it has been a huge relief to see another step up in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne.