1) Hart proves his quality despite fitness fears
Less than three weeks after he was hospital-passed on to a stretcher by Martín Demichelis, it was not long before Joe Hart was performing wonders again in Europe, soothing fears that he had returned too soon from his calf injury by repelling Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s early penalty for Paris Saint-Germain. Without that save, Manchester City might have crumbled. Instead they left the French capital clutching a hugely impressive 2-2 draw and they owe Hart a huge debt of gratitude. While others in City’s colours have fallen well below expectations in the Champions League in the past, he has always been able to look his manager in the eye, even in defeat. He formed a one-man barrier against Messi, Suárez and Neymar in Barcelona last year, kept the scoreline respectable against Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in 2012 and saved a penalty in the crucial victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach in the group this season. Yes, he was made to look foolish by Andrea Pirlo’s Panenka at Euro 2012. Yet the overworked goalkeeper possesses an immense will to win, thrives when he is confronted by adversity and should escape criticism for his part in Ibrahimovic’s farcical equaliser. Fernando’s inexplicable mistake handed the initiative back to PSG, just when they were wobbling.
2) Defensive frailties remain a huge concern
Fernando could have no excuse for making a mistake so lackadaisical at this level. While Hart’s pass put him in an awkward position, with Ibrahimovic closing him down, he simply needed to knock the ball back to his goalkeeper. Instead he tried to play it across his own area and he was duly punished when the ball deflected in off Ibrahimovic’s outstretched leg. The unfortunate truth for City is that they undo too much of their good attacking work with dismal slips in defence, especially when Vincent Kompany is out, and Hart deserves to play behind a better back four. They were exposed with alarming regularity by PSG, who could hardly believe their luck when they were presented with a two-on-one break inside the opening 10 minutes.
3) PSG slips offer encouragement
City were in trouble after their failure to deal with a corner allowed Adrien Rabiot to give PSG a 2-1 lead in the second half. Yet the French side were vulnerable in defence as well and Fernandinho’s late equaliser leaves City in a position of command before the second leg in Manchester next Tuesday. Those frailties were evident when David Luiz was booked for tugging back Sergio Agüero in the opening minute and the Brazilian was partially at fault for Kevin De Bruyne’s goal just before half-time, making a strange attempt to cut out Fernandinho’s pass. Fernandinho had a good, bustling game for City in midfield – yet his equaliser was a gift from PSG’s right‑back, Serge Aurier, who presented him with a golden chance by fluffing a routine clearance with 17 minutes left. Enjoying his first start after he was banned for making insulting comments about his manager Laurent Blanc, below, and team-mates on social media two months ago, it was an inauspicious return for Aurier.
4) Matuidi’s suspension is good news for Pellegrini
It was an uncharacteristically sloppy performance from Blaise Matuidi, whose errant pass in the middle led to De Bruyne’s opener, but PSG will miss his energy and quality in the second leg. Will that give City an advantage? The Frenchman is one of Blanc’s most consistent players and it was unusual to see him misplace passes and commit the foul on Nicolás Otamendi that earned him a yellow card.
5) De Bruyne shows City what they were missing
City used to count on Yaya Touré for big goals in big games. Yet his absence offered them a tantalising glimpse of the future under Pep Guardiola, who sold Touré when he was at Barcelona. With the Ivorian unavailable, De Bruyne was used in the No10 role behind Agüero and he was prominently involved in most of City’s best moments in attack, passing intelligently, dropping into space between the lines and opening the scoring with a wicked shot shortly before the interval. Paris Saint‑Germain struggled to pin the Belgian down and Guardiola will know that he can count on him at the highest level. The 24-year-old’s goal brought home just how much City missed him while he was recovering from the injury he suffered in January.
