Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki scored on their Premier League debuts as Manchester City romped to an emphatic 4-0 victory against Wolves.
Reijnders starred against Vitor Pereira’s side, effectively setting up Erling Haaland’s opener with an excellent pre-assist, scoring a wonderful goal and assisting Haaland’s second strike of the evening as well.
As for Rayan Cherki, it took the Frenchman just seven minutes after coming off the bench to slot the ball into the bottom corner and quadruple City’s lead.
Both Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders could not have impressed any more as their respective displays were messages to the Sky Blues’ title rivals to be wary of their threat this season.
Rayan Cherki reacts after scoring during Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City - Premier League
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Pep Guardiola heaps praise on Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki after Wolves vs Man City
With James Trafford impressing against Wolves and Rayan Ait-Nouri having a solid outing as well, Pep Guardiola had plenty of reasons to be proud.
Unlike Liverpool, who huffed and puffed to beat AFC Bournemouth 4-2 on Friday, Manchester City were clinical and dominant for much of the contest.
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After Manchester City cruised past Wolves, Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Reijnders and Cherki in his post-match press conference via BeanymanSports: “The club always makes good signings. I’ve never found a player who’s not good, in the Premier League, not just Man City, in general. If you’re a footballer playing in the Premier League, it’s because you’re good. How you can be better is how you connect with the idea of the team and all your teammates. The team plays badly, they criticise one player, the players are good, the players have always been really good.”
“Tijji gives us something…you miss it, having incredible place to the box and the talent from Cherki is unbelievable, the small spaces, the creativity, the final third is extraordinary and sometimes in certain games, we’ll need him.”
Guardiola praised the pair while speaking to Sky Sports as well, saying: “All the new ones [were impressive]. Tijjani was one of the best players in Serie A, he has an unbelievable rhythm.”
Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki stats after Wolves vs Man City
Since their respective moves to the Etihad Stadium, both players have seemed quietly confident from day one.
Cherki revealed he eyes the Ballon d’Or while Reijnders’ keenness to join Manchester City suggested he has always backed himself to fare well in the Premier League.
The stats justify how impactful the pair were at the Molineux Stadium.
STATS VS WOLVES TIJJANI REIJNDERS RAYAN CHERKI
GOALS 1 1
ASSISTS 1 0
PASSES INTO THE FINAL THIRD 7 3
TOUCHES 82 23
MINUTES PLAYED 90 18
Reijnders provided an assist while also scoring Manchester City’s second goal while playing seven passes into the final third and taking 82 touches as he stood out on Saturday.
As for the former Lyon playmaker, he scored a stunner, played three passes into the final third and made the most of his 23 touches in 18 minutes.
Judging by how brilliant both Reijnders and Cherki looked against Wolves, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has every reason to laud the pair.