Manchester City lost 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League but delighted fans with their second-half display
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 14: Pyrotechnics are set off during a pre-match light show ahead of the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 league phase MD2 match between Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad Stadium on October 14, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Isaac Parkin/Manchester City FC via Getty Images)
Manchester City had a clear message with their fireworks display
View Image
Three cheers for the Qataris. Where Liverpool failed to teach Manchester City the lesson that English football demanded, up stepped Paris Saint-Germain for 45 minutes to deliver the most brutal thing seen at the Etihad since the 115 Core Decision.
There was some humour to be had in the fact that the same people who have been arguing for the last week against states being involved in football team will have been cheering for PSG as the good guys, but Enzo Maresca had bigger issues. His team were taken apart in an astonishing first half by a team who were levels above them and anyone they had faced this season.
Thank goodness City won at Anfield, for if they had not there would have been endless noise about how the players had crumbled in the wake of the guilty verdict. Instead, Maresca's first defeat as a City coach could be put down to a ruthless display from the best team in Europe.