Quickfire Doué and Dembélé inspire PSG to thrilling win at Manchester City

A penny for Pep Guardiola’s thoughts. The legendary Manchester City manager was back at the Etihad Stadium for the first time since his departure at the end of last season and, well, the announcement of you-know-what.

Sporting a flat cap, Guardiola took his seat in the stands behind the City chair, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, and the chief executive, Ferran “Not” Soriano, and, certainly, the TV director seemed intent on scrutinising him – if the number of cutaway shots to him were any guide.

Everybody knows where Guardiola stands on the great City scandal; the numerous guilty verdicts handed down to them on the 100-plus charges they have faced for breaking the Premier League’s financial rules. He has backed his former employers to somehow disprove them. But what did he make of his old team here against the might of the defending European champions, Paris Saint-Germain?

Not much in the first half would have been a reasonable conclusion. PSG played football from a higher plane and might have led by more than the three unanswered goals they scored. But if defiance has been the theme for City – and it fed into Guardiola’s presence here – they produced plenty more of it during a wild second half.

City refused to accept the inevitable. They threw everything at PSG. Erling Haaland ran on adrenaline as City created a fistful of clear openings. Haaland finished with two goals and a couple of near misses. City were close to worrying PSG.

The problem for Enzo Maresca and his players was the goal from Maghnes Akliouche for 4-1. It was a blast from outside the area that Gianluigi Donnarumma appeared to have palmed up and away. Except that the ball dropped back down and into the net. PSG even had time to miss a late penalty from Ferran Torres; the kick was weak and too close to Donnarumma. Are you missing it all, Pep?

The City support booed the Uefa anthem, as usual, due to their long-standing grievances with the European governing body, albeit they have surely been overtaken by issues closer to home. Perhaps they can co-exist unhappily?

Their team’s idea had been to measure themselves against the best and there were reasons why PSG shimmered with such menace. One was that Luis Enrique’s starting XI featured seven players who are on the 30-strong Ballon d’Or shortlist. He had another three from it among his substitutes, including João Neves and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

PSG were slick and sharp at the outset. There was the trademark assurance on the ball; the beautifully grooved combinations. It does not matter how tight the spaces are. They back themselves to get out of them. Witness the opening goal and a scintillating piece of team play that began deep on the right-hand side of their defensive third.

In the blink of an eye, PSG were surging up the flank and then opening out the move, Fabián Ruiz playing the final pass to Doué on the left. The winger cut inside and shot low for the near corner from outside the area. It was the precision that did for Donnarumma, although the former PSG goalkeeper had to do better at his post.

When PSG landed the follow-up punch just 75 seconds later, City were reeling, the home crowd stunned. The travelling PSG fans were beside themselves. It was a goal that featured two crosses, the first from Dembélé after some nice footwork out to Doué on the left. He took the ball down and crossed back for Dembélé, who had stolen in behind Marc Guéhi. The striker was unmarked; the run was too cute. Dembélé’s header was straightforward.

It was no exaggeration to say that PSG could have had five by the interval. City had no defence to their cut and thrust; the sheer pace of it. The positional fluidity, too. What was the right-back Achraf Hakimi doing marauding up the inside left? Causing major problems.

Hakimi popped up inside the six-yard box in the 32nd minute only to send a free header against the post but City were swiftly disabused of the notion that the danger had passed. Almost immediately, PSG seized on a lofted Donnarumma clearance and went for the jugular. Akliouche was involved and Warren Zaïre-Emery got the assist with a lovely backheel. Vitinha lashed a low drive home. The PSG support turned their backs on the pitch to perform a perfectly synchronised Poznan. It was a Parisian spectacle on and off the pitch. When Hakimi blew a one-on-one with Donnarumma on 39 minutes, his team were toying with City.

Maresca made a triple change at the interval, introducing Matheus Nunes, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Iliman Ndiaye; an acknowledgement of how the first period got away from his team. The pickings in attacking terms had been slim. Antoine Semenyo blazed high at 0-0 after Matvei Safonov punched a corner against his own crossbar but there appeared to have been a foul on the PSG goalkeeper. There was not a great deal else from City.

They were better after the restart, playing with abandon. Semenyo crackled to life. Enzo Fernández blew a gilt-edged headed opportunity and Ndiaye worked Safonov before Haaland pulled one back. It was a whipped ball in from the inside left by Ndiaye, which Haaland redirected into the far corner with a flex of the neck muscles. He was not close in, either.

Could City take the lifeline? Semenyo ran through and dinked against the crossbar. The offside flag was raised, although he looked to have been level. City needed the next goal to make it interesting. Instead, they lost the initiative after another Donnarumma lapse.