Pep Guardiola returns to the Etihad as Man City fall 4-2 to PSG

Pep Guardiola returned to the Etihad with Manchester City, but the night ended in a 4-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain after a brutal first half. The Catalan’s appearance came amid legal pressure for the club, which was found guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations and is now appealing.

The stadium made its message clear: a “CTID” (City Til I Die) mosaic, fireworks before kick-off and Guardiola watching from the directors’ box. On the pitch, though, Luis Enrique’s PSG set the tone early. Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha scored as City fell behind 3-0 at half-time.

A late fightback

After three changes at the break, City improved and created chances, with Erling Haaland giving them hope before the game slipped away again. Even a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma—against Maghnes Akliouche—couldn’t stop the ball ending up in the net.

Enzo Maresca summed up the pattern of the match: “We conceded two early goals so quickly… in the second half we created enough to maybe deserve something.” According to Phil McNulty, the contest turned into a memorable, chaotic spectacle rather than a routine 90 minutes.