Manchester City Come of Age in Champions League with Quarter-Final Win over PSG

Manchester City made a statement on Tuesday night with their 1-0 UEFA Champions League quarter-final win over Paris Saint-Germain. After four years of struggle in Europe’s elite club tournament, City have had a breakthrough season.

They knocked out PSG in style and progressed to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time in the club’s history. They are fully deserving of their victory and the praise that should come with it.

City now look more assured on this stage, as if they belong at the top table of European football. The inhibited, disjointed performances that had held them back and saw them widely castigated have slowly ebbed away. Their players look as though they believe they can compete with any side.

Manuel Pellegrini’s appointment back in 2013 was a move by club officials to stabilise City after the turbulence of the Roberto Mancini era—but it was also an attempt to find a solution to their Champions League woes. There can be little doubt the Chilean has improved the club’s fortunes in the competition.

There have been fleeting moments of Champions League quality during Pellegrini's time in charge. The win over Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in 2013, although a dead rubber for the German side, was impressive.

Victory in Rome when it really mattered last season demonstrated a nerve and spirit we’d only previously seen on the domestic scene. But those nights had been interspersed with too many drab displays—defeat at home to CSKA Moscow, a bore draw with Roma and the hammerings dished out by Barcelona.

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

This season has felt different, with Pellegrini’s side far more at ease on the big stage. They topped their group having comfortably beaten Sevilla, a side with a wonderful European home record in recent seasons. Even the defeats to Juventus felt harsh, with City much the better side in the home game and comfortable for long periods in Turin.

They destroyed Dynamo Kiev in the first leg of the last 16 and left themselves little to do in the return leg in Manchester, before their impressive 2-2 draw in Paris last week set them up for further progress.

Tuesday's 1-0 win over Laurent Blanc’s Ligue 1 champions got the job done and offered the most compelling evidence yet they have turned a corner in the Champions League. This was their coming-of-age display.

Kevin De Bruyne once again underlined his importance with a goal and wonderful performance—but there were a number of unsung heroes on a seismic night for the club.

"

We did it!! pic.twitter.com/sJmMjRYSrc

— Kevin De Bruyne (@DeBruyneKev) April 12, 2016"

Gael Clichy, superb in recent weeks, was electrifying at left-back, and Fernando, so often a whipping boy during his first season in English football, once again highlighted the value he brings, breaking up PSG’s rhythm time and again with blocks, tackles and interceptions. He has been key to City’s progress in Europe.

Eliaquim Mangala has been hammered for his inconsistent form but few performed better than he did over the two legs. PSG are seen as one of the best attacking outfits in the competition, yet they struggled to get beyond the Frenchman, who is making a late surge for a place in the France national squad ahead of this summer’s UEFA European Championships.

Fernandinho, City's best player this season, was again the most energetic, dynamic player in a City shirt, and Joe Hart made a superb stop from Edinson Cavani that proved crucial.

"

Great feeling and very proud of this team.
UCL semi final here we go.
Well done boys.#CMONCITY pic.twitter.com/mAA1sfiPuo

— Fernandinho (@fernandinho) April 12, 2016"

Asked if his side could go all the way, Pellegrini was emphatic in his response. “Of course,” he said. “This season, next season.

“If you are in the semi final you know that you have to play against a very big team of Europe. But playing in the way we did tonight—we played better than Paris St. Germain, a very strong team with very good players.

“We have a lot of trust that we can play against anyone in the way we played tonight.”

"

WATCH: Manuel Pellegrini tips @MCFC To win the @ChampionsLeague. More here: https://t.co/nMG8c44Kf0 #SSNHQ  https://t.co/s2qWmudt5W

— Sky Sports News HQ (@SkySportsNewsHQ) April 13, 2016"

Pellegrini’s tenure looked to be heading for a limp finish, with their domestic form faltering and a place in the top four looking far from certain. Wins over Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion have stabilised things at home, and they now have a Champions League semi-final, likely to be against one of the giants of the game, to look forward to.

They deserve it.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard.