Man City 2-4 PSG: This was some way for Enzo Maresca’s side to lose

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1h ago

By IAN LADYMAN, FOOTBALL EDITOR 22:16 14 Oct 2026, updated 22:40 14 Oct 2026

Maybe nothing will be simple and straightforward for Manchester City ever again. Not the future, not the present. Not the politics and maybe not even the football.

Here against the Champions of Europe, with Pep Guardiola watching on from beneath his flat cap in the directors’ box, Enzo Maresca’s City threatened to follow the adrenaline shot of Sunday’s win at Anfield with a complete flatline at the Etihad.

This for a while looked and felt like the night reality dawned. When all the noise and celebration and defiance of the weekend faded to grey. When the impact of playing the next weeks and months under the shadow of crushing uncertainty began to feel too much.

Three down to Luis Enrique’s rampant PSG side after 31 minutes, City were on the verge of being embarrassed in front of their former coach and their own supporters. It was three and it could have been five. Goals for Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha had ripped a hole in City’s hearts.

Yet somehow, from the canvas, City found a pulse. They found a reaction, some adrenaline and – in the second-half – a comeback that did not quite serve as another two-fingered salute to the world but indicated at least that a coach and a group of players who have done absolutely nothing wrong are not going to be shunted into irrelevance as meekly as many would like.

City couldn’t pull this off. To do so would have been quite ridiculous. But they terrified PSG in a second period played in an atmosphere of utter frenzy.

Erling Haaland scored twice for City in that spell and also hit the bar. Late on, with the score at 4-2, he almost slid one in at the far post. Heaven knows where that would have taken us all had it gone in.

A goal in between Haaland’s brace from PSG’s Maghnes Akliouche had ensured that City never quite got to within smelling distance. At the death, meanwhile, former City forward Ferran Torres, on as a substitute, missed a penalty for the French team.

At full-time, though, this huge modern stadium was still almost full. Maresca’s team were applauded off after a lap of honour. How many teams get to do that having conceded four? These are strange and vaguely terrifying times for English football’s most successful recent club but if and when City do tumble down the leagues, it appears they will do so together.

Even without the events of the last fortnight, this would have represented the biggest night of their season so far. After all their years of trying, PSG have finally established themselves as the standard bearers of European football.

For a while City merely flunked it. They were wretched without the ball during a first-half in which the game was ultimately lost. They were slow and lacking intelligence to the degree that the French team found far too much space in which to play.

As usual, PSG moved the ball devastatingly as they sought to exploit it. Even so, the way Doue was able to shoot low past two City defenders and in at Donnarumma’s near post from 20 yards in the 13th minute was criminal from the point of view of the home team.

PSG’s celebrations served as a tribute to the calibre of the opposition. This was a big night for Enrique’s team too. Two minutes later they were dancing again.

This time the danger flowed down the right into space. Dembele’s floated pass across goal to Doue was well judged and the way it was returned to him on the first-time half volley was sublime. As Dembele headed the ball down and in, it felt already like this game was over. It wasn’t. Not quite.

City tried to get a foothold. They hustled in midfield and tried to stretch PSG by using wingers Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo whenever possible. All the while, though, PSG carried that latent threat.

The speed at which they carried the ball upfield was as alarming as it was thrilling. Just after the half hour, right-back Achraf Hakimi headed a Doue cross back across goal and against the post but it didn’t matter. From the next phase of play his team scored anyway.

Donnarumma’s clearance came back towards City on halfway and every PSG player who touched the ball in the ensuing passage did so at their own apparent leisure. Only when it was moved to the edge of the City penalty area did the pace quicken.

Warren Zaire-Emery’s back heel flick to Vitinha was perfect and the Portuguese international drilled the ball in from 16 yards.

City’s choice options were now clear. Shrivel and die or find something from within. It was to their credit that they took the latter. Twice before half-time they threatened, through Doku and Haaland. Then, in a frantic and quite extraordinary second-half, they persistently threatened to claw their way back.

Three times in five early minutes, City could have scored. A Semenyo shot was deflected over, Enzo Fernandez headed wide and then substitute Iliman Ndiaye was denied point blank by Matvei Safonov at his near post.

With the crowd energised, City rode a wave of fresh adrenaline. In the 53rd minute, Ndiaye crossed and Haaland scored with a flick header. Briefly something truly extraordinary was on. It was PSG’s turn to look a little lost.

After further flurries of City attacking activity, Akliouche turned well to shoot high from 18 yards and Donnarumma could only watch as the ball flew up off his outstretched hand and landed back down over the goal line. Once again the outcome felt settled. Once again City came back.

Josko Gvardiol saw a header cleared from the line before Haaland landed one on the bar. And then, with 15 minutes still remaining, Haaland side footed in his team’s second goal from inside the area.

City kept surging forwards. This was gripping, crazy playground football and chances came on the back of it. Maresca’s team ended the night having taken 27 of the night’s 42 shots. It was some way to lose.

Manchester City: (4-2-3-1) Donnarumma 5; Khusanov 5, Ruben Dias 5 (Matheus Nunes 46 5), Guehi 6. Gvardiol 5; Anderson 6, Fernandez 6 (O’Reilly 90); Semenyo 6, Cherki 5 (Ndiaye 46mins 7), Doku 6 (Bouaddi 46 7); Haaland 6

Subs not used: Rulli, Bettinelli, Reis, Lewis, Ait-Nouri, Foden, Kovacic, Allan

PSG: (4-3-3) Safonov 6; Hakimi 6, Marquinhos 6, Pacho 7, Nuno Mendes 6; Zaire-Emery 7 (Beraldo 84), Vitinha 7, Fabian Ruiz 6 (Hernandez 84); Akliouche 7 (Neves 76 6), Dembele 7 (Torres 76 4), Doue 8 (Kvaratskhelia 66 6)

Subs not used: Chevalier, Mouak, Zabarnyi, Digne, Fernandez, Godts, Ndjantou

Goals: Doue 13, Dembele 15, Vitinha 32, Akliouche 63

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