Manchester City star Rayan Cherki risked the wrath of supporters by swapping shirts with Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike before full-time in Saturday’s FA Cup clash - and then wearing it on the bench.
Cherki and Ekitike - team-mates with the France national team - were substituted within minutes of each other at the Etihad Stadium, and seemingly took the opportunity to swap shirts with 20 minutes still to play.
TV cameras soon after spotted Cherki putting on Ekitike’s shirt while sitting on the bench. The City forward then turns his head to a voice off camera and quickly removes the shirt, before holding up his hand in apology. The camera then panned to Ekitike, who was sitting motionless on the Liverpool bench wearing a black top.
It remains to be seen if there will be any fallout from the incident, but TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher at the time suggested “that’s going to go down like a lead balloon in many quarters”.
New Rayan Cherki moment just dropped. 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/H9ThXjj9NQ
— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) April 4, 2026
It was a bizarre moment during a remarkable game at the Etihad, which saw City secure their spot in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Liverpool were blown away 4-0 courtesy of Erling Haaland’s hat-trick and a goal by Antoine Semenyo, which was assisted by Cherki. Mohamed Salah saw a penalty saved by James Trafford.
Cherki also attracted headlines before the international break during City’s 2-0 win over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, when he showboated by juggling the ball mid-game and then winked at the crowd on the floor after being fouled by Ben White.
