Joe Hart's Save, Fernandinho's Goal Give Man City Hope Against PSG

Manchester City escaped the French capital with a 2-2 draw Wednesday night following a thoroughly entertaining—if somewhat sloppy—Champions League quarter-final first leg. Manager Manuel Pellegrini will harbor some serious concerns about the quality of his side's defending after this performance, but the result is positive for City, who will now believe they can advance to a first-ever semi-final.

If they do, they might point to a few key moments that affected the outcome of the first leg. The first was Joe Hart's penalty save against Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 14th minute. The fine stop kept the match scoreless for the time being and could eventually prove pivotal in the second leg.

Hart had just returned from an injury, barely recovering in time to start—making this contribution all the more impressive. Starting him was thus a risk on Pellegrini's part, but Hart's record of stopping penalties—he's stopped six of the last 11 he's faced, per Infostrada Sports—might have made the decision for him.

The second key moment came in the 38th minute. City caught PSG on the counter, and Kevin De Bruyne—having recently returned from an injury of his own—fired in the opener from a tight angle on the right. All was going to plan for the visitors until that point, but a defensive miscue on Fernando's part gifted Ibrahimovic an equalizer just three minutes later.

Thibault Camus/Associated Press

When Adrien Rabiot fired PSG ahead in the 59th minute, there followed a sequence in which the hosts appeared destined to break the game open. But City's back line firmed up at just the right time, and the third key moment turned the tie in favor of the visitors.

There seemed to be little danger when PSG's Serge Aurier moved to intercept a Bacary Sagna cross in PSG's box, but the clearance bounced off a teammate directly into the path of Fernandinho. Reacting alertly, Fernandinho steered a deflected shot past Kevin Trapp to give City a priceless second away goal.

At 2-1 down, Pellegrini's men would have clung to the hope of turning the tie around in the second leg. But at 2-2, they'll now feel confident in their ability to do so. Not only did the Premier League side escape Paris with a hard-earned draw, but it grabbed two away goals in the process, which will make PSG's task even tougher.

But in order to advance, City will have to tighten up defensively. PSG's opener came from a costly mistake that was utterly avoidable. Hart took a goal kick short to Fernando, who lingered in possession and allowed Ibrahimovic to nip in. As Fernando tried to clear, the ball caromed off Zlatan and into the unguarded net.

Hart didn't need to take the goal kick short, and Fernando should never have been so lax on the ball with Ibrahimovic around. But the positive for City is that these issues can be corrected.

"It was a terrible first goal to concede," Hart said, per BBC Sport. "I gave Fernando the ball, and he thought there was an option to pass it, [but] the big man [Ibrahimovic] put his size 15s through it, and the ball went in."

PSG's second goal might give Pellegrini even more headaches. After Edinson Cavani forced Hart into a save with a header from a corner, Rabiot was unmarked at the back post and was able to tap in easily. Fernandinho, who later played the role of hero, failed to track his man, and it cost City a goal. 

Replays showed that Ibrahimovic was offside during the buildup, and since he made an attempt on the ball, the goal shouldn't have counted. Still, it was a costly lapse, and City will have to eliminate that sort of slip in the second leg.

"If we want to win, we cannot make those kind of mistakes," Pellegrini said, per UEFA.com. "But we are trying to win the game from the first minute—it is the way we play.

Heading into this tie, showing progress on Europe's grandest stage was the objective for City, who have never made it this far in the Champions League before.

The next step is within sight, but the Sky Blues must know that the second leg will be no stroll. PSG played well below their best on Wednesday and will be aiming to make amends with a better performance in England, despite the absences of David Luiz and Blaise Matuidi, who will be suspended.

But after one leg, City couldn't have asked for a much better scenario.