PARIS -- Manuel Pellegrini was delighted with Manchester City's draw with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, but insists they are not the favourites to reach the semifinals.
City rescued a 2-2 final score when Fernandinho fired in a 73rd-minute shot that deflected off Thiago Silva after his team had squandered a first-half lead at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
It means that barring a 3-3 draw, City only have to avoid a defeat at Etihad Stadium to make it through to the semifinals.
Pellegrini was happy with the result but insists the tie is still wide open, telling a news conference: "It was a very good result because we played away against a very good team and to score two goals is important, but the tie is very open.
"We will need to play well in Manchester to go through because they have good players and normally they like to play the same way away as they do at home.
"We have a difficult 90 minutes in Manchester but I'm happy about the result tonight. I don't think that we are favourites. Not before the game and not after this game. I was asked the same question yesterday in the press conference and I say the same.
"Between big teams like Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, you never have a favourite team. It continues open and I repeat that we must play a very good game in Manchester if we want to continue."
Fernando made a horrible mistake to gift Zlatan Ibrahimovic an equaliser for the Ligue 1 side after Kevin De Bruyne had fired City into a 39th-minute lead.
Adrien Rabiot then put the home side ahead in the second half, with Pellegrini feeling that Ibrahimovic was offside in the build-up.
The Chilean boss said: "In the first half we made some important mistakes that we can't repeat if we want to continue in Champions League.
"Unfortunately I think for us in the second half, the second goal of PSG was absolutely offside but it was important for us to keep that mentality because when you concede the goals we conceded it's not easy for a team to recover.
"We always tried to attack and we scored the second goal."
Pellegrini also hailed the impact of De Bruyne after scoring his second goal in successive games since a knee ligament injury that ruled him out for more than two months.
He added: "I think that a lot of the time one player can change a team. Kevin was very important before the injury and fortunately for us he has returned the same way."