Cherki remains modest after winning MOTM, reminding Haaland 'not to forget the duty'

Rookie midfielder Rayan Cherki shone brightly by scoring a goal and providing an assist to help Man City secure a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest. Although honored by the Premier League organizers, the French star emphasized that he prioritizes passing, while Haaland is tasked with scoring goals.

After the thrilling 2-1 win against Nottingham Forest at the 18th round of the Premier League, midfielder Rayan Cherki became the center of attention. The French star not only scored the decisive goal but also assisted Tijjani Reijnders. He received a high rating of 8.4 — the best in the match between Nottingham and Man City. Moreover, Cherki's impressive performance earned him the Man of the Match award from the Premier League organizers.

However, in a post-match interview on Match of the Day, Cherki showed great humility when discussing his personal performance. When asked about his second Premier League goal for Man City, Cherki gave a surprising yet charming reply. He stated that scoring goals is not his top priority but rather the responsibility of his teammate Erling Haaland.

Cherki’s viewpoint is very clear: "I always want to score goals. That’s for sure, but it’s not my number one priority or the most important task. Erling Haaland is here to do that! I want to deliver good passes to my teammates to score, and I’m very proud of that."

Though happy, Cherki also acknowledged the extreme challenges Man City faced at The City Ground. He highly praised Nottingham Forest and considered the three points gained extremely valuable in the long race: ""We knew coming to Nottingham would be complicated because this club is very strong. They play a tough, aggressive style and are determined in every challenge. Today, Man City played well, and we are very proud to have won."

He also praised Reijnders’ finish following his pass: ""I know my qualities and what I’m capable of. In that moment, I made a good pass to Tijjani Reijnders, and he had a great finish."