The short answer
Manchester City opened Gameweek 2 with a statement 4-1 win away at Crystal Palace, and the biggest FPL winners were exactly the players managers will now be discussing before GW3.
Rayan Cherki scored twice. Erling Haaland scored twice. Phil Foden supplied two assists.
City have now won both of their opening Premier League matches under Enzo Maresca and face Coventry at home in Gameweek 3.
Crystal Palace 1-4 Manchester City: goals and assists
| Minute | Goal | Assist / action |
|---|---|---|
| 17' | Erling Haaland | Antoine Semenyo |
| 54' | Rayan Cherki | Phil Foden |
| 56' | Gianluigi Donnarumma own goal | Yeremy Pino free-kick caused the own goal |
| 59' | Rayan Cherki | Joško Gvardiol |
| 84' | Erling Haaland | Phil Foden |
Live FPL points at full-time
The following points are taken from the full-time FPL scoring shown immediately after the match and should be treated as provisional until the official post-Gameweek review and lock.
| Man City player | Live points | Main return |
|---|---|---|
| Rayan Cherki | 14 | 2 goals, provisional 3 bonus, booked |
| Erling Haaland | 13 | 2 goals, provisional 3 bonus |
| Phil Foden | 9 | 2 assists, provisional 1 bonus |
| Antoine Semenyo | 5 | 1 assist |
| Joško Gvardiol | 5 | 1 assist |
| Elliot Anderson | 3 | 82 minutes; booked |
| Marc Guéhi | 2 | Appearance points |
| Rúben Dias | 2 | Appearance points |
| Abdukodir Khusanov | 2 | Appearance points |
| Nico O'Reilly | 2 | Appearance points |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | 0 | Own goal; no clean sheet |
Bonus points can still move during the official review process, so use the OneFPL Live Table for the latest live score and rank rather than treating the full-time numbers as permanently locked.
1. Cherki has moved from exciting punt to major FPL target
Cherki came off the bench in GW1 and assisted both of City's goals in the 2-1 comeback against Bournemouth.
He then started at Crystal Palace and scored twice.
That gives him:
- 2 assists in GW1
- 2 goals in GW2
- 4 direct goal involvements in City's first six league goals
- a starting place in GW2
- a central creative role
- strong bonus potential when he returns
OneFPL verdict: STRONG BUY / priority watch for GW3.
Compare Cherki directly against Foden, Semenyo and midfielders from other clubs in the OneFPL Player Lab.
2. Haaland just made the GW3 captaincy conversation very simple
Haaland entered GW2 after blanking against Bournemouth.
One match later:
two goals + 13 provisional FPL points.
More importantly, Manchester City's next league fixture is:
Manchester City vs Coventry — GW3
A home fixture against a promoted side immediately puts Haaland at the centre of:
- captaincy
- Triple Captain discussion
- Wildcard structures
- premium-forward transfers
OneFPL verdict: clear GW3 captaincy front-runner.
Check City's next fixtures in OneFPL Fixtures and test a Haaland structure over several Gameweeks in the Transfer Planner.
3. Foden's two assists may be more important than the nine points
Foden supplied the passes for Cherki's first goal and Haaland's second goal.
That produced 9 provisional FPL points.
But the tactical clue after the match may be even more interesting.
Maresca said Foden looked happier when he moved inside behind Haaland, describing that as his position.
At roughly £7.0m, he can be cheaper than both Cherki and Semenyo.
OneFPL verdict: WATCH closely — potentially outstanding value if central starts become secure.
4. Cherki vs Foden vs Semenyo is now a real FPL decision
Their GW2 live returns:
| Player | GW2 live points | FPL case |
|---|---|---|
| Cherki | 14 | Best combination of form + central upside |
| Foden | 9 | Cheaper and potentially excellent centrally |
| Semenyo | 5 | Assist and likely strong minutes, but more expensive |
Use the Player Lab to compare price, minutes, fixtures and projections rather than simply buying the highest GW2 scorer.
5. Gvardiol has now returned in both Gameweeks
Gvardiol scored City's stoppage-time winner against Bournemouth in GW1.
Against Palace, he assisted Cherki's second goal.
That means he has an attacking return in each of the opening two Gameweeks.
City did not keep the clean sheet because Pino's free-kick rebounded off the bar and went in off Donnarumma.
Even so, Gvardiol still finished on 5 live points.
OneFPL verdict: BUY / HOLD, but keep City's defensive rotation in mind.
6. City still haven't kept a clean sheet
City have conceded:
- 1 vs Bournemouth
- 1 vs Crystal Palace
Their defence has still generated FPL value through attacking returns, especially Gvardiol.
The Coventry fixture is an excellent test.
7. Elliot Anderson remains an interesting DefCon profile
Anderson started again and played until the 82nd minute.
His full-time live FPL score showed 3 points despite receiving a yellow card.
That makes his final Defensive Contribution tally worth checking once the official scoring locks.
Check his locked defensive numbers in the OneFPL Player Lab after the Gameweek review.
8. Bouaddi made his Manchester City debut
New £5.5m FPL midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi replaced Anderson in the 82nd minute, making his City debut less than 48 hours after joining the club.
This does not make him an immediate FPL buy.
OneFPL verdict: WATCH.
9. Palace attack: Pino's free-kick role is the useful clue
Palace's only goal was officially a Donnarumma own goal.
But it came from Yeremy Pino's excellent direct free-kick, which struck the crossbar before bouncing in off the goalkeeper.
That gives FPL managers useful evidence that Pino can carry direct set-piece threat.
Palace's next fixtures are also much easier than Manchester City:
- Fulham away
- Ipswich home
- Leeds away
Check Palace availability in OneFPL Team News before buying.
What this means for GW3
BUY / strongly consider
Cherki Haaland Gvardiol
WATCH
Foden — central-role upside Anderson — DefCon Bouaddi — minutes development Pino — set pieces + improving fixtures
City's next Premier League fixtures
| GW | Fixture | Early FPL read |
|---|---|---|
| GW3 | Coventry (H) | Excellent |
| GW4 | Man Utd (A) | Difficult derby |
| GW5 | Sunderland (H) | Strong |
| GW6 | Liverpool (A) | Difficult |
Test transfers across the whole run in the OneFPL Transfer Planner.
OneFPL verdict
The biggest winner is Rayan Cherki.
Haaland immediately becomes the obvious premium captain to assess for Coventry at home.
Foden has given managers a cheaper City-midfield alternative and, crucially, Maresca has publicly highlighted his central role behind Haaland.
Gvardiol continues to generate attacking returns even without clean sheets.
The big FPL question before GW3 is:
Which City attacker gives me the best combination of ceiling and secure minutes?
FAQ
How many FPL points did Cherki score against Crystal Palace?
He was on 14 live points at full-time, including three provisional bonus points.
How many points did Haaland get?
Haaland was on 13 live points, with two goals and three provisional bonus.
How many assists did Foden get?
Two.
Who assisted Haaland's first goal?
Antoine Semenyo.
Who assisted Cherki's goals?
Phil Foden assisted the first and Joško Gvardiol assisted the second.
Who do Man City play in GW3?
Coventry City at the Etihad.
Sources
OneFPL analysis. OneFPL is an independent Fantasy Premier League companion and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Premier League or Fantasy Premier League.
Was this useful?