UEFA Champions League 2020-21: Manchester City outplays 10-man Paris Saint-Germain to reach maiden final

English giant Manchester City came up with a dominating performance to outlast French champion Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League 2020-21 semis at the Eithad Stadium in Manchester on Tuesday. With a 4-1 aggregate win, City has managed to reach its maiden final of the tournament.

First half
City survived an early scare after PSG was handed a penalty in the seventh minute, only to be overturned after a VAR check. Nonetheless, four minutes later, Riyad Mahrez fired in a rebound from Kevin de Bruyne off Marquinhos. It was followed by six more attempts, including a Marquinhos header that hit the crossbar, as City maintained its lead at half-time.

Second half
The second half saw three attacks until the 61st minute from the host. However, just a couple of minutes later, its relentless attack is rewarded again as Mahrez scored his brace with a chip over PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas, thanks to the assist from Phil Foden.

In the 69th minute, PSG's Angel di Maria was handed a red card for pushing away Fernandinho. It was followed by a couple of more attacks from the host, but to no avail, as City had got the job done, with the referee blowing the full-time whistle.

Post-match stats
- Mahrez is only the second player to score in both legs of a UCL semis for an English club after Sadio Mané.
- Foden is the sixth player and the first from City to enter double figures in both goals and assist in all competitions of a season.
- PSG is only the third team after Deportivo (2003-04) and Lyon (2009-10) to receive a red card in the UCL semis.
- City is the ninth English side to reach the UCL final, with England having the most finalists after Germany and Italy (6 each).
- City has won seven UCL games in a row, the best run by an English club.
- City is also the first English side to win 11 UCL games in a single season.
- Mauricio Pochettino has lost the most games against Pep Guardiola (12) than any other manager against the latter.
- Guardiola has won the most against Pochettino (12) than against any other manager (levelled with Pellegrini & Dyche).
- Fernandinho is the oldest outfield player to win a UCL tie on his birthday, along with Ulf Kirsten (36).

Reactions
Pochettino: "I am disappointed because we deserved better. But Manchester City have been more clinical than us. They scored the goals we needed; we played the game we wanted with the plan we wanted. It's a bit disappointing, obviously because the objective was to go to the final."

Guardiola: "It is for all of us and the club. I'm incredibly proud and my first thoughts are with the players who didn't play today. They all deserved to play; everyone has made a contribution, and now, it is time to enjoy it. We have to win the league and we have two or three weeks to prepare for the final."

Mahrez: "It was a very good game. We didn't start well again - we didn't have a good first half, but we got the goal and we were more comfortable. We played well second half and we could have scored more. They lost their nerve and started to kick us and after the red card, it was more comfortable."

Marco Verratti (on referee): "He (referee) also told me 'f*ck you' a few times. If I say 'f*ck you', I am out for ten games. Of course, I talk a lot with the referee, but I never say 'f*ck you.'"

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