Manchester City fans have voted Rayan Cherki’s clinical finish against Newcastle United as the club’s January 2026 Goal of the Month, with City confirming the result on their official X account today, February 9.
The goal came in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at St James’ Park.
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The move began with a brilliant run from Rayan Aït-Nouri, followed by a pass from Antoine Semenyo. Cherki then exchanged passes with Aït-Nouri before finishing calmly from the centre to put City 2–0 up.
The strike beat stiff competition, including Erling Haaland’s Champions League opener against Galatasaray and Semenyo’s home goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Cherki’s influence has also been huge in Europe. On January 28, City sealed their place in the Champions League round of 16 with a 2–0 win over Galatasaray at the Etihad.
Haaland ended a 10-game open-play drought with a cool finish, before Cherki doubled the lead before half-time with a low strike into the corner after a sharp assist from Jérémy Doku. The win secured eighth place in the league phase and allowed City to avoid the play-off round.
After the recent run of goals, Pep Guardiola praised Cherki’s ambition but also challenged him to keep raising his level. Guardiola said “the sky is the limit” for the 22-year-old, adding that his ceiling depends on “what he wants to become.” The City boss has also reminded Cherki that improving his defensive work rate will be key to sustaining his impact over 90 minutes.
According to Softfootball, Cherki has quickly earned the “magician” tag since his £34 million move from Olympique Lyonnais last summer.
Trusted with the No.10 shirt, he’s repaid that faith with 9 goals and 9 assists in 31 appearances across all competitions so far this season numbers that show just how central he’s becoming to City’s attack.
