Rayan Cherki caught the attention of supporters online when he opted to play a game by himself during Manchester City’s thumping win against Chelsea

Rayan Cherki delivered an impressive individual performance during Manchester City’s 3-0 win against Chelsea on Sunday, but it was his ‘unserious’ antics that caught the attention online.

Cherki was instrumental to City’s second-half demolition at Stamford Bridge, as he grabbed two assists, crossing for Nico O’Reilly to score the opener before delivering the pass for Marc Guehi to double his side’s lead.

But the France international still managed to find some time during a stoppage in the second half to entertain supporters as he tried to flip a bottle TWICE. While a player was receiving treatment on the far side of the pitch, footage captured by a fan in the West Stand showed Cherki attempt the action after taking in some water.

He first tried to flip the bottle from around a foot off the ground but failed in his attempt. The 21-year-old then tried again but was unsuccessful before running back to get in position for a restart.

Reacting to the incident on X, one fan said: “Cherki was out there bottle flipping mid game. this guy is never serious [laughing face emoji, crying face emoji]. Another added: “Lol this guy is one unserious fellow.”

A third wrote: “This lad is going to be my favourite ever player.” A fourth continued: “Lol pep even said this guy isn’t serious. he takes everything on surface level.” A fifth admitted: “So crazyyy love him.”

Cherki’s two assists against Chelsea took him to 13 direct goal contributions in 26 league appearances this season, following his move from Lyon last summer. Following a difficult start to life at the Etihad Stadium, he has cemented himself as a City’s starting No.1 in recent months.

Praising Cherki post-match, Guardiola said: “The numbers are incredible and the quality in the first season in the Premier League, he is something unique.

“In the first half, he played close to me. Play close to Haaland and the wingers and the attacking midfielders and use the talent that Mum and Dad gave to you. When he starts to do that, he will become an extraordinary player with his mindset and mentality.

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our City WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our City Facebook page by clicking HERE and don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

“He has to learn to play for 95 minutes doing what we have to do. But his work ethic is unbelievable knowing he doesn’t have the speed and pressing that Antoine Semenyo has that is amazing.

“I’ve been with Sergio Aguero and Sergio Aguero was not the incredible high press player but he tried his best and all I ask is that… do your best and you can do it because he has another quality.

“Every player has his own ability. Rayan has something special, the second goal I said choose the pass right and he passed to Marc Guéhi that I could not even see from outside. He is a top talent and again what I said, if Manchester City decide to bring that player in, it is because Manchester City is working really well.”

Next up for Cherki and City is a mouthwatering Premier League home game against Arsenal at the Etihad next Sunday. If City win, the gap between them and the Gunners will be cut to just THREE points at the top of the table with Guardiola’s men boasting a game in hand.

Manchester City needed a talisman to step up at Stamford Bridge and Rayan Cherki delivered in the way Kevin De Bruyne used to

18:48, 12 Apr 2026

Rayan Cherki swung the corner into the box as Manchester City looked for an opener. It was the Frenchman’s shot that had earned the set-piece, but his final delivery was rubbish and went straight to the first man.

City got another go though, because Marc Cucurella’s clearance went straight out for another corner and the Blues could keep their foot on the gas. This was three minutes into the second half and summed up how badly both teams had been misfiring.

Cherki had been poor, yet with City needing inspiration at Stamford Bridge he stepped up and won them the game. His next run at the Chelsea defence came seconds later and earned a corner, and soon after that a clever ball into the box was headed home by Nico O’Reilly.

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our City WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our City Facebook page by clicking HERE and don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

From nowhere, City had swarmed Chelsea and – even better – they did not let up. After 10 minutes of dominance to start the second half, another good ball from Cherki found Marc Guehi and the former Chelsea youngster controlled and finished like Erling Haaland to send the away end into rapture.

City found themselves with an unexpected opportunity in West London after Arsenal’s surprise home defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday. Win here and the pressure would firmly be on the league leaders when they travel to the Etihad, with the title race in the hands of both teams waiting to be grabbed.

But this is not the all-conquering City team of old, where experienced pros such as Fernandinho, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan would steer the side over the line. This is a new team that has been too inconsistent to take advantage of the other opportunities they have had, which is why they are not closer to the top of the table.

A sloppy first half threatened another one of those days, with Rodri setting the tone for an error-strewn opening where neither side looked good enough to win. With the pressure on though, Cherki and City raced through the gears and blew Chelsea away.

By the time Jeremy Doku had stroked home a third after disarray from Robert Sanchez and Moises Caicedo, the delirious City fans were asking Arsenal if they were watching. If Mikel Arteta and his players were, it will have been with gritted teeth and through their fingers; a winning margin of three makes serious inroads on the goal difference front as well, with Arsenal now just leading by three.

This may not be the City team of old but that doesn’t mean they are not dangerous. Needing a big performance to set up a grandstand of a game next week against the Gunners, the Blues delivered it in style.

Man City vs Southampton VIP and hospitality tickets

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

from £249

Seat Unique

Book tickets here

Seat Unique offers hospitality packages for Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final clash with Southampton, including ‘premium’ seats at Wembley and complimentary food and drink.

Manchester City return to Premier League action on Sunday when they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

After winning at Wembley and booking a return trip, Manchester City will turn their focus back to the Premier League title race this weekend as they travel to Chelsea.

While City are on cloud nine having landed a psychological blow on Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final before thrashing Liverpool in the FA Cup, the dark clouds are hovering over Stamford Bridge. When these two teams last met, Enzo Maresca had just been sacked and Chelsea’s U21s head coach Calum McFarlane guided them to an unlikely draw at the Etihad Stadium.

Liam Rosenior has since been appointed by Chelsea’s unpopular owners. So far it has been a rough ride for the 41-year-old, and City will be relishing the chance to crank up the heat.

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our City WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our City Facebook page by clicking HERE and don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

City have already been boosted by Enzo Fernandez’s absence from this weekend’s game. The club have banned the Argentine for the next two games after he opened the door to an exit from Stamford Bridge.

Sitting sixth in the Premier League, Chelsea should be buoyed after it was confirmed this week that the top five will qualify for the Champions League. Instead, there is plenty of pessimism in west London and City should be confident they can exploit an undeniable problem for this weekend’s host.

By some distance, Chelsea have the worst disciplinary record in the Premier League. While they only rank joint third for the number of yellow cards received (71), they lead the way on red cards.

Chelsea have amassed a whopping seven red cards this season, comfortably more than Tottenham and Everton, who share second place with four each. Since the turn of the year, Chelsea have picked up three red cards – two of which came in the Premier League.

This will be music to the ears of City stars like Rayan Cherki. The summer signing from Lyon has dazzled supporters with his tricks and flair this season.

Cherki has not only wowed Blues fans, he has also managed to rile up opposition teams in the process. While Pep Guardiola did not approve of the midfielder’s keepy-ups during the Carabao Cup final, he did draw a foul from Ben White afterwards.

This has been a theme throughout this season for Cherki, as even the coolest of heads lose their patience. He will now relish the chance to play against a team who need no encouragement to show their ill-discipline.

Chelsea fans’ belief in their team is fragile. City know if they start dominating possession, drawing bookings from Rosenior’s players and grabbing an early goal, the supporters will turn on their opponents.

Their home advantage will soon be wiped out if City can start quickly and not allow Chelsea to pick up momentum. Cherki will help with that cause, especially if he is showcasing his trademark flair.

City have a player clubs hate to play against. He is still discovering the fine line between confidence and showboating, but against a team like Chelsea, Cherki is exactly what you need.

Rayan Cherki has been a huge hit since signing for Manchester City last summer and there is more to come from the mercurial playmaker

Antoine Semenyo couldn’t believe what he was seeing, Pep Guardiola flits between wanting to shout at him and kiss him, Manchester City fans just love watching him.

Rayan Cherki has been a breath of fresh air since arriving at the Etihad. He’s not even been in town a year and there is already a showreel worthy of a career. His rabona assist against Sunderland, his keep-ups in the Carabao Cup final, his beautiful goal against Brentford, sublime pass after sublime pass.

He’s a maverick player who gets fans off their seats and conjures up moments you’ll never forget. And what’s more, there is still more to come.

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our City WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our City Facebook page by clicking HERE and don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

Cherki shone in the FA Cup quarter-final victory over Liverpool on Saturday, everything he tried came off and even half putting on Hugo Ekitike’s shirt on the bench after the France international teammates had been substituted couldn’t detract from his performance.

Cherki spoke of how he wants people who watch him play to be entertained and based on recent evidence you have to say it is mission complete.

“He’s one of the world’s best,” said teammate Antoine Semenyo, who benefited from one defence-splitting pass from Cherki to clip home City’s third against Liverpool. “He can do anything with the ball, he makes my life easy. I know that he’s going to drop in and find me in behind or drop it into my feet so he makes things easy.

“When you train with him every day you get a gist of what he is so when he gets on the ball I know where to make my runs.”

That chemistry between Cherki and his teammates is building, the understanding developing. No-one has doubted his talent, some have perhaps questioned his positioning and his defensive awareness, but City and Cherki have worked hard on the training pitch to ensure he marries up the wonderful with the work-rate.

“When he faces the goal, he becomes so, so dangerous,” said City assistant Pep Lijnders of the 22-year-old. “It’s for the other players to make sure he receives the ball in these spaces and pockets.”

“The only thing we are working on with him is always receiving the ball to hurt the opposition,” he added. “If you saw (against Liverpool) the work ethic without the ball, that defines with Cherki how he is growing. He wants to improve as well.”

It’s a frightening prospect that this version of Cherki is nowhere near the finished article. He’s in his first season under Pep Guardiola, his first season in the Premier League and his first season with City. As first impressions go, it’s been a sensational start.

“I remember my first day in training; some of the skills he was pulling off I was thinking what kind of player is he?” recalls Semenyo. “But he’s a top player, creative with the ball and we love it.”

City fans love it, too.

Manchester City player ratings from the Manchester Evening News for their 1-0 win over Leeds in the Premier League

Manchester City clung on at Elland Road to earn a vital 1-0 win over Leeds in the Premier League. Antoine Semenyo gave Pep Guardiola’s side the lead in first-half injury time and they kept their clean sheet despite intense pressure from the home side in the final 15 minutes.

City started sluggishly as Leeds, buoyed by the news that Erling Haaland had not travelled with the Blues as a result of injury, took the game to the visitors. Semenyo and Omar Marmoush struggled to get on the ball as Leeds put City under considerable pressure in the first 30 minutes.

But the title challengers found their feet, scored when they were on top, and then held their nerve in the final moments to move two points behind Arsenal again with 10 games to go. Here are the player ratings from the Manchester Evening News.

FOLLOW OUR MAN CITY FB PAGE! Latest news and analysis via the MEN’s Manchester City Facebook page

Donnarumma: Does the simple things so well and his shutout of Aaronson gave the platform for City to go and score. 7

Nunes: An excellent last-ditch block on Calvert-Lewin at the start of the second half after finding space down the right in the first. 7

Guehi: Lost out in some early battles but showed his quality and awareness in a few key moments. 7

Dias: Looks like he is enjoying Guehi as a partner and found his feet as the base of City’s possession. 7

Ait-Nouri: Showed courage and intelligence on the left to break through the Leeds defence on multiple occasions. 8

Rodri: One mistake that could have been costly but he is looking like the metronome of the team again. 7

Silva: Another all-action performance that involved several positions and running all over the pitch. 7

O’Reilly: His power and aggression was craved and it is a worry that he limped off in the second half. 7

Cherki: Came into the game after a rough start, making quality contributions to cut open the Leeds defence. 8

Semenyo: His feet can be too quick for his brain but he embraced the physical battle and then showed his nous with the first goal. 7

Marmoush: If you were only picking one forward to keep their place when Haaland returns, Semenyo won in every category. 5

Substitutes

Savinho (for Marmoush, 68) Didn’t really make an impact. 6

Reijnders (for O’Reilly, 70) Some promising runs. 6

Ake (for Cherki, 88) Too late to mark

Not used: Trafford, Stones, Khusanov, Foden, Doku, Gonzalez

Find the best flights and hotels for Champions League games

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

Various Prices

Booking.com

See the deals here

Booking.com provides countless deals on flights and accommodation across Europe so Man City fans can follow the team on their Champions League campaign.

Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings

Manchester City thought they had scored a third goal in stoppage time against Liverpool but VAR intervened to disallow it and send Dominik Szoboszlai off.

Former Manchester City and Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has blasted VAR for interfering in “the most silly way” after Rayan Cherki was denied a third goal vs Liverpool on Sunday. City led 2-1 going into the latter stages of stoppage time with the home side throwing everything forward in search of a winner.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson had gone up for a free kick but was caught in the City half as Cherki looked to have slotted the ball into an empty net from his own half. Initially, it appeared to be a perfectly good goal that should have counted.

However, VAR official John Brooks advised referee Craig Pawson to go to his monitor and review the incident. Confirming the goal was disallowed, Pawson announced: “After review, there is a careless foul by Erling Haaland, that pulls the shirt of Dominik Szoboszlai.

Try MEN Premium NOW for just £1

FOLLOW OUR MAN CITY FACEBOOK PAGE! Latest news and analysis via the MEN’s Manchester City Facebook page

“Prior to that, Szoboszlai commits a holding offence that denies an obvious goalscoring opportunity. The final decision is a direct free kick to Manchester City and a red card.” Szoboszlai is now expected to be banned for one match due to being dismissed for a denial of a goalscoring opportunity.

After the game, Schmeichel did not hold back when asked about the decision, telling ViaPlay: “The on-field decision is goal. He [the referee] gives the goal. Let it be then.

“This is not the referee. Once VAR interferes – and this is, for me, why VAR absolutely doesn’t work.

“It makes no sense to let the referee… What’s the purpose? Liverpool want the goal to stand because Szoboszlai will be sent off.

Buy Carabao Cup Final VIP tickets

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

From £1,599

Seat Unique

Buy tickets here

The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.

“Man City want the goal. That one goal can mean a lot when we get to the end of the season.

“But why is VAR interfering here? What is the purpose? How does that serve football? I just don’t get it.

“I’ve always been an opponent of VAR. I think it is one of the worse things we have introduced into football. And today, they interfered in the most silly way.”