Rayan Cherki was signed by Man City to save football – Pep Guardiola has resurrected the beautiful game

Rayan Cherki delivered a ‘virtuoso’ display in Manchester City’s demolition of Liverpool – he reminded us how football should be played.

Those were the words of talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham, who waxed lyrical over the Frenchman after he dazzled in the Citizens’ emphatic 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final win.

Getty

Pep Guardiola‘s side enjoyed the perfect afternoon at the Etihad, as Erling Haaland‘s hat-trick and an Antoine Semenyo goal sent them into the last four of the competition.

Cherki was at his very best in the rout, teeing up Semenyo for City’s third with an inch-perfect through ball.

It wasn’t just his goal contribution that caught the eye though, with the 22-year-old showcasing all of his trademark flair and trickery.

His skilful play set the tone for a free-flowing City performance, who tore Liverpool apart with some beautiful pass-and-move football.

‘Joyous’

talkSPORT’s Durham watched the dominant FA Cup display from the commentary booth at the Etihad, and he certainly enjoyed the show.

He hailed Man City for their performance, insisting it put the tactics of many of their rivals to shame, with many bemoaning a lack of entertainment in the Premier League this season.

On talkSPORT’s Kick Off, the legendary broadcaster said: “Listen, it’s Easter and Manchester City have resurrected the beautiful game.

“In a season where set pieces have been king, when flowing football has taken a back seat, to keepers pretending to be injured, to record-breaking time-wasting tactics, long throws and teams taking kick-offs by hoofing it high in the air – Manchester City have just reminded us how joyous football can be. 

“Haaland hat-trick sealed with a stunning passing move, slicing through the opponents – Nico O’Reilly the architect.”

Durham: Cherki was unplayable

Durham reserved special praise for Cherki, hailing the £34million summer arrival for saving football with his carefree displays.

Getty

On the French playmaker, he raved: “Rayan Cherki – so good to watch, it’s like he’s been sent, this season, to save football.

“He’s a magic maverick and his cute, clever pass. [He] set up Semenyo for a lovely goal, start of the second half. 

“And it wasn’t just the goals – Semenyo tried to score from his own half. 

“Cherki was unplayable at times, gliding past players like they don’t exist. He was superb.”

Co-commentator Stuart Pearce was in full agreement, adding: “He’s got the ability to do something special and you can see that in his play. 

“He’s got that arrogance on a football pitch and he’s another piece of the Pep jigsaw that makes him that little bit special.”

AFP

Durham continued to hail Man City’s performance, just months after he urged manager Guardiola to resign after nearly ten years in charge.

He added: “City – tiki-taka in their own box under pressure from red shirts, they were just knocking it about first time for fun.

“The crowd giving it the ‘Ole’s’ well before the hour mark. The whole stadium doing the Poznan at one point.”

‘A true maverick’

Cherki has caught the eye with his trickery and confidence on the ball since his arrival at the Etihad in the summer.

However, he drew criticism recently for his showboating antics in City’s Carabao Cup Final win over Arsenal, as he juggled the ball mid-game, shortly after his side went 2-0 up.

The France star’s carefree nature was again on show against Liverpool, as he was spotted wearing Hugo Ekitike‘s shirt on the bench after being substituted, prompting a member of the City team to step in and tell him to take it off.

Getty

But Durham was taken in by Cherki’s happy-go-lucky nature, as he continued to rave about him to co-commentator Pearce.

He gushed: “What can you say about Rayan Cherki? I know you were not impressed with his keepy-ups at Wembley, and I don’t think Pep Guardiola was impressed either. 

“He’s been a true maverick, there was an arrogance about his play and he’d earned the right to be arrogant with his play as well – it was a joy to watch.

“So many players seem to be quite robotic. 

On his shirt-swapping antics with Ekitike, he said: ”Rayan Cherki has shown us a maverick performance.

“And it got so maverick, even after he went off. He and Ekitike swapped shirts on the benches, Cherki tried to put Ekitike’s shirt on -by the way, French team mates of course.

Appearing impressed by this, Durham commented: “Well, the cameras got him. I can see it from here as well.

“And that’s how maverick he is, he kind of doesn’t really care – and at times it can work against him as it did at Wembley.

“But here today, that was virtuoso, that was a little bit special. It was bordering on 10 out of 10, wasn’t it?”