PSG 4-2 Manchester City: Player Ratings as City squander a two-goal cushion in a dramatic second half | UEFA Champions League 2024-25
Manchester City dropped a two-goal lead in the second half to lost 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Parc des Princes in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, January 22.
As a result, the Parisians climb up to 22nd place with 10 points from seven matches and move into the qualification zone. City, on the other hand, remain outside said zone in 25th place with eight points from seven matches.
In a change of scenery for Pep Guardiola's men, PSG dominated possession in the first half and dictated things with the ball at their feet. They created some good openings in the first half but were unable to find a way past Manchester City's compact defence. The Parisians attempted eight shots in the first half, but just three of those were on target.
Manchester City, on the other hand, managed a better ratio of attempts that tested Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal. They attempted four shots, of which three were on target, but were saved by the Italian custodian. PSG seemed to have taken the lead on the cusp of half-time via Achraf Hakimi, but the goal was cancelled after a VAR review.
PSG and Manchester City were tied 0-0 at the half-time interval.
Manchester City burst into life in the second half as they raced into a two-goal lead within 10 minutes of the restart. Jack Grealish opened the scoring with a smart finish to make it 1-0 after 50 minutes, and Erling Haaland doubled their lead just three minutes later. However, this was just the beginning of a frantic few minutes in the game.
PSG pulled one back via Ousmane Dembele in the 56th minute as Bradley Barcola provided the assist. Barcola then levelled the match in the 60th minute in a stunning turnaround by the hosts. Joao Neves then completed the comeback with a smart header into the grass to beat Ederson with pace on the shot to make it 3-2. Goncalo Ramos rounded off a stunning result for PSG to make it 4-2 late on.
Manchester City were left to lick their wounds after a rare defeat after being two goals up. On that note, let's take a look at their player ratings.
Manchester City Player Ratings
Ederson - 6.5/10
Ederson made four saves for Manchester City between the sticks but ultimately ended up on the losing side.
Matheus Nunes - 7/10
Nunes had a decent game as he won six duels, making three clearances and two interceptions. He also completed three dribbles past opponents.
Manuel Akanji - 7/10
Akanji had a decent game as he won both his duels in defence, making ghree clearances, one block and one interception as well. He also played one key pass.
Ruben Dias - 6.5/10
Dias had a subpar first half and also picked up a booking, resulting in Guardiola taking him off.
Josko Gvardiol - 6/10
Gvardiol had a mixed game as he made one clearance off the line but also made an error that cost his team a goal.
Bernardo Silva - 6/10
Silva failed to impact the game from deep midfield areas as he did not play a single key pass or accurate cross. He won just five of 12 duels and was dispossessed 12 times.
Mateo Kovacic - 6.5/10
Kovacic put in an average performance in midfield for Manchester City.
Phil Foden - 7/10
Foden had a decent game as he passed the ball with 85% accuracy, including three key passes and two accurate crosses. He also won three duels and made four clearances.
Kevin De Bruyne - 6/10
De Bruyne missed one glorious chance to score and was also dispossessed 14 times in an uncharacteristically poor performance.
Savinho - 6/10
Savinho missed a big chance to score, failed to win even one of four duels, and also did not play a single key pass or accurate cross.
Erling Haaland - 7.5/10
Haaland had a good game as he attempted two shots on target and scored from one of those. He also won two duels and made two interceptions.
Substitutes
Rico Lewis - 6/10
He replaced Dias but could not make a positive impact for Manchester City.
Jack Grealish - 7/10
He came on and scored his team's first goal with a good finish.
Ilkay Gundogan - 6/10
He replaced Kovacic but could not make an impact on the proceedings.
James McAtee - 6.5/10
He replaced De Bruyne and put in a good performance.
John Stones - 6/10
He replaced Nunes but could not prevent his team from losing.
