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Erling Haaland and Elliot Anderson have spoken glowingly about the methods of new manager Enzo Maresca after Manchester City registered an emphatic 4-1 win over Crystal Palace. Both players said they have strong belief in the new ideas being introduced at the club after an impressive run of back-to-back Premier League victories.

Manchester City continued their excellent start to the campaign by sweeping aside Crystal Palace 4-1 on Saturday at Selhurst Park. Haaland, sporting a noticeably shorter haircut, kept up his outstanding scoring record against the south London side. The striker opened the scoring with a header from an Antoine Semenyo delivery and then struck again late in the contest.

Rayan Cherki also turned in a superb display, scoring twice in the second half. Manchester City did concede in unusual fashion when a Yeremy Pino free-kick bounced back off goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma for an own goal, but they were still comfortably in control on their way to another win. As reported by Sky Sports, the commanding performance gave Enzo Maresca his second straight victory since taking charge of the club.

The players appear to be settling quickly into Maresca’s system, with senior members of the squad already backing the manager strongly. Haaland was quick to praise both his team-mates and the tactical structure. “Elliot [Anderson] was incredible,” Haaland said. “We have to trust the system, and we trust Enzo [Maresca] and what he wants to do.”

Anderson also spoke about his own progress within the side. “I think I gotta be a little more structured,” Anderson said. “I’m learning to stay a bit more in my position.” He added: “I felt more at home today. My first outing at the Etihad was special though I felt very nervous and two wins from two is great. Everyone is really happy and everyone gave their all. The game plan went just as we wanted.”

Even after scoring twice, Cherki showed his demanding mindset by admitting he was unhappy when Maresca moved to take him off. The attacker felt he should have created more for Haaland during the match.

“When I saw Enzo [Maresca] was going to change me, I didn’t like that - I need to show I want to play and want to score and give assists for Erling [Haaland],” Cherki said. “Today I didn’t give a lot of balls for him. Next time I want to give Erling a lot of balls.”

Cherki also gave a blunt assessment of his own display, saying: “Now we start another story [with Enzo Maresca], and we need to prove... I played so st [in the first-half].”

Manchester City will now look to take this strong momentum into their next Premier League matches. With new £86 million signing Ayyoub Bouaddi making his official debut, the club have significant depth to cope with the demands of a long season. If the players continue to absorb and execute these new tactical instructions, Maresca could have a squad capable of winning back the Premier League title and competing for major honours in Europe.