The Frenchman supplied a sublime rabona cross for Phil Foden to score.

Pep Guardiola felt Rayan Cherki outdid Lionel Messi but tempered his praise of the Frenchman after Manchester City’s comfortable victory over Sunderland.

Cherki produced one of his best performances since joining City in the summer to help them to a 3-0 victory on Saturday that cut Arsenal’s Premier League lead to two points.

Cherki capped an influential display with a sublime rabona cross for Phil Foden to head home City’s third, but Guardiola was impressed more by the 22-year-old’s all-round effort than isolated moments of magic.

The City manager said: “Rayan is an exceptional player. He is so young, he has a huge personality. He is not scared and has self-confidence.

“In the final third he had something special

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