Steven Gerrard points out Man City star after PSG loss, saying he was a ‘man down’
Steven Gerrard wasn’t impressed with one Manchester City player’s performance as Enzo Maresca’s team lost 4-2 to European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League group stage.
City faced a lively crowd at the Etihad Stadium for their first match back after being found guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules from 2009 to 2018.
Maresca’s team hoped to keep up their strong start to the season but PSG’s attack was too much early on. Desire Doué scored in the 13th minute, beating Gianluigi Donnarumma. Two minutes later, Doué set up Ousmane Dembélé to make it 2-0, and Vitinha added a third goal in the 32nd minute.
City fought back with Erling Haaland scoring in the 53rd minute, but Donnarumma couldn’t stop Maghnès Akliouche’s shot in the 62nd, putting PSG ahead again. Haaland scored his second goal with 15 minutes left. Late on, Ferran Torres missed a penalty, hitting a soft shot straight to Donnarumma.
Several City players didn’t perform well. Commentator Steven Gerrard even said it felt like City was “a man down in midfield” because of Rayan Cherki’s struggles. Cherki didn’t make much impact and was taken off at halftime, replaced by Ayyoub Bouaddi. Gerrard praised Bouaddi for staying calm and said he has what it takes to play at a top level.
Fans shared their thoughts on Gerrard’s tough words about Cherki on social media. One fan said, “Gerrard is really tough on Cherki, but Enzo and Anderson aren’t exactly standing out either.” Another added, “I LOVE Steven Gerrard. He just said Man City played with a man less in midfield when Cherki was on.” Others mentioned that Cherki and Fernandez don’t seem to work well together and that Ndiaye and Bouaddi did great after coming on, with Bouaddi helping Anderson get forward more. They also said Cherki looked overwhelmed by the game’s intensity.
City will play their next home game against Ipswich on October 17.