Manchester City tried to stage a show of unity. Pep Guardiola slipped into the directors’ seats in a flat cap, the stand that bears his name unfurled a CTID mosaic, fireworks lit the sky — and then Paris Saint-Germain scored three times before the interval.
Luis Enrique’s side left Greater Manchester with a 4-2 win on City’s first home night since an independent panel branded the club guilty of Premier League financial breaches. Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha made it 3-0. After the break Enzo Maresca threw on three substitutes; Erling Haaland struck twice and Maghnes Akliouche made it 4-1 after Gianluigi Donnarumma spilled a chance against his former employers. The recovery never quite arrived.
Guardiola, openly backing club chief Khaldoon Al Mubarak and Ferran Soriano through the appeal, looked as restless as when he prowled the touchline. Maresca later called Paris the strongest side on the continent yet insisted City created enough after the restart to believe they belong at that level.
Sunday’s 3-0 win at Liverpool had suggested resilience; Wednesday showed how thin that cushion still is. The crowd’s defiance never turned on the ownership. Studio pundit Nedum Onuoha summed up the chaos as entertainment first, structure second.
Enrique’s European scalp list now stretches through Liverpool, Villa, Tottenham and Arsenal — with City again on it. The Citizens host Ipswich next, still waiting to learn what punishment and their appeal will bring.
