'Taking the mick': Rio Ferdinand marvels at Manchester City's dominant win over PSG

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes Pep Guardiola's team were at times "taking the mick" out of Paris Saint-Germain as they recorded a dominant 2-0 win in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday night.

Manchester City reached their first European final in 51 years on the back of a Riyad Mahrez double and it could have been more if not for some key saves from PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas. The Ligue 1 club, on the other hand, failed to register even a single shot on target.

Ferdinand heaped praise on Guardiola's team for the manner in which they went about dismantling Mauricio Pochettino's men. He believes United's bitter rivals are playing "total football" especially with the City manager failing to start a traditional number nine in either leg of the semifinal.

"They're doing it in a fantastic manner. I'm not a City fan but I enjoy watching them play football. Mahrez, Sterling, De Bruyne, Silva, Gundogan, they interchange, the fluidity they play with - it's total football," Ferdinand said, speaking on BT Sport, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

"By the end of it they were taking the mick, it was embarrassing for PSG, a team who are full of experience and full of winners. Huge hats off to Pep and his team," he added. "[It was a] totally dominant display - we were wondering 'is it a step too far?' The last 45 mins in Paris was a pivotal moment, we wondered 'can they carry the same momentum?'"

The 2008 Champions League winner also heaped praise on the players but made a special mention of Phil Foden, labelling him the best young player in the world at the moment. Ferdinand believes even Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland trails the Englishman, who was dominant in attack for Guardiola's team.

The former United defender also hailed centre backs John Stones and Ruben Dias, who were impenetrable despite PSG's multiple efforts to create an opening making it an easy night for City goalkeeper Ederson.

City will now await the winners of the clash between Chelsea and Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Istanbul. The Blues will welcome Zinedine Zidane's team to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday with the tie tightly poised at 1-1 after the first leg in Spain.