Man City can't compete with PSG, the Champions League's gold standard

MANCHESTER, England -- Paris Saint-Germain laid out their credentials to win a third straight UEFA Champions League title by dismantling Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

The back-to-back European champions won 4-2 thanks in part to a blistering first-half performance that saw Luis Enrique's team go in at the break 3-0 up.

Pep Guardiola was back at the Etihad Stadium for the first time, in a show of support for the club in their first home game since the publication of the damning guilty verdict in their case with the Premier League. But City's former boss was stunned along with the rest of the home crowd as goals from Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha saw PSG race to a three-goal lead during a brutal 19-minute spell.

Enzo Maresca made three changes at halftime, and his team improved after the break. Erling Haaland scored twice to become City's leading Champions League goal scorer and the youngest player to reach 60 Champions League goals, breaking Lionel Messi's record by a day.

But another PSG goal from Maghnes Akliouche put the brakes on a comeback, and it would have been worse for City had Ferran Torres not seen a late penalty saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma. -- Rob Dawson

Guardiola vs. Luis Enrique -- who's the best?

Guardiola returned to the Etihad for the first time since ending his 10-year reign as City manager in May, and he returned to see a master class ... by Luis Enrique's PSG.

The back-to-back Champions League winners reminded the world that they are the cream of Europe by humiliating City on their own turf. But was Guardiola also watching the best coach of his generation prove his caliber? Guardiola is often held up as the gold standard of coaches over the past decade and beyond, but is he really better than Luis Enrique?

Both men produce teams that play stunning football, and they have both won three Champions League titles. Guardiola and Luis Enrique can also claim the distinction of leading Barcelona to a treble. But Guardiola never managed to win successive Champions Leagues, which Luis Enrique achieved by guiding PSG to a successful defense of their crown last season. And if Luis Enrique can take PSG to a third successive Champions League title this season -- who would bet against him? -- then he would move ahead of Guardiola with four Champions League and secure a three-peat, something else Guardiola hasn't achieved.

While there can be no doubting Guardiola's pedigree, maybe even he has to take second billing to Luis Enrique. -- Mark Ogden

Man City get chastening Champions League lesson

Maresca said at his pre-match news conference on Tuesday that he didn't know whether City were close to the level of the reigning European champions or not. He has his answer now.

Maresca's team have been perfect in the Premier League so far this season, winning at Old Trafford and Anfield in the process. But this was a Champions League wake-up call.

City have struggled in Europe since lifting the trophy in 2023. They haven't been past the quarterfinals since the final in Istanbul, and last season, they were soundly beaten by Real Madrid in the round of 16.

Getting thumped by PSG doesn't mean that City can't go far in the competition this season. But it does mean that they'll have to improve once they get into the knockout rounds. PSG are the standard in Europe at the moment, and City fell way below.

It's only October, and there's time to get better, but this was a brutal lesson. -- Dawson

Are PSG the greatest UCL team of all time?

OK, maybe a hot take, but PSG's Champions League dominance means they have to be considered as the best team ever to play in the Champions League era, dating back to 1992-93.

The great Barcelona side of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, which won the Champions League in 2009 and 2011, is usually held up as the benchmark, while a Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired Real Madrid won three in a row in 2016, 2017 and 2018. But this PSG team is chasing a third straight title this season and they are playing incredible football.

While Barca dominated thanks to genius of Messi, and Real owed their success to Ronaldo's goals, there is no standout star in Luis Enrique's PSG side. The team is the star. Dembélé, Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are the attacking superstars, but they are no more important than midfielders Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz or defenders Achraf Hakimi and Marquinhos.

PSG do everything with style, and they showcased their quality by giving City a footballing lesson at the Etihad. If they retain their crown again this season, the debate over which is the greatest-ever Champions League side could be over. -- Ogden

Doué exposes City's weakness at right back

PSG took control of the game with two goals in two minutes in the first half. Doué was at the center of both. His finish for the first goal was so clever, shaping to shoot into the far corner before dragging his effort inside the near post.

His contribution for the second was even better. The speed of his touch and cross in a tight space under pressure was mesmerizing and gave Dembélé a simple header at the back post.

Doué was fantastic, but his performance also highlighted a flaw in City's squad. Abdukodir Khusanov started at right back and couldn't handle the French international. When Maresca reshuffled at halftime, Matheus Nunes took over.

City have two world-class players in almost every position -- how that's been financed over the years is another question -- but right back is an issue. Most weeks in the Premier League, they're fine, but not when you're facing Doué in top form. -- Dawson

PSG beat the Premier League yet again

Luis Enrique joked that PSG's winning record against Premier League sides "isn't bad for a team from a farmers' league" after beating Arsenal in a Champions League semifinal two seasons ago. Back then, PSG had booked their place in the final after beating City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and the Gunners en route to their first Champions League title.

They were the scourge of English teams against last season with wins against Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal in the final -- they even held Newcastle United to a draw in the league phase. Unai Emery's Aston Villa are the last English team to beat PSG, but their second-leg Champions League quarterfinal win in 2025 wasn't enough to win the tie.

PSG simply have the formula to beat English opponents -- great players, amazing work rate and fantastic movement on and off the ball. This win against City was their 11th triumph against a Premier League in 16 games since the start of the 2024-25 season. Their overall record in that period is 11 wins, 2 draws and 3 defeats -- Arsenal and Liverpool also recorded wins against them -- and this victory at the Etihad was as convincing as any of them. -- Ogden