Manchester City were back in Champions League action last night, but it was Paris Saint-Germain who left the Etihad Stadium with all three points in one of the most pulsating matches of 2026.

There continues to be so much talk about Manchester City away from the pitch, with the charges verdict and the appeal process. Many are unhappy that the situation continues to drag on, but the process must be respected.

For now, City continue on with their season and after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday, City hosted the holders of the Champions League for the past two seasons, PSG.

This was to be the biggest test so far for Enzo Maresca, and a litmus test of how good this team actually is.

And while City may have lost, the 4-2 result did not tell the full story.

Man City are still among the best Europe has to offer

In front of a watching Pep Guardiola, City quickly found themselves 2-0 down against PSG, with Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele both getting on target by finishing off sweeping moves. Before much longer, it was three courtesy of Vitinha.

It was an absolute footballing lesson from PSG in that first-half, with City players completely unable to get near their counterparts. The midfield battle was easily won by Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Warren Zaire-Emery.

It looked like it was going to be an extremely long night. But it turns out this City team really isn’t that far off PSG, and that it was simply a case of a tactical mismatch to start with.

Maresca made three half-time changes:

These tweaks levelled the playing field, and City were then able to take the game to PSG. The hosts created a plethora of chances, with the likes of Erling Haaland, who did score both of City’s goals, Antoine Semenyo and Fernandez all offering a threat.

City hit the woodwork twice and had a ball cleared off the line by Nuno Mendes, too. It was a relentless performance, and in the end, City were genuinely unlucky to be on the losing side. They had 27 shots in total and created 25 chances.

Some believe that PSG and Real Madrid are the most likely clubs to win this competition. PSG are an amazing team who have delivered twice in the last two years, and Real’s history is well documented.

Other clubs like Bayern Munich and Barcelona will also be some people’s picks to win.

But even though it was defeat last night for City, it was a performance that showed that this team is always one of the best in Europe, despite having just waved goodbye to arguably the best manager in history and with everything hanging over the club.

Who knows if this could be City’s last appearance in the Champions League for several years, but certainly, as things currently stand, with Maresca likely to learn from the experience, this team is strong enough to go all the way.