Neymar s ninth goal of the season moved Paris Saint-Germain three points clear at the Ligue 1 summit following a 1-0 victory over 10-man Marseille.
The Brazil international s strike in first-half stoppage time was enough to settle the Classique as PSG registered 23 shots on goal in a deserved triumph at Parc des Princes.
Marseille had Samuel Gigot sent off for a dangerous challenge on Neymar as the visitors suffered their first away defeat of the season.
Meanwhile, Christophe Galtier s side stretched their unbeaten league run to 20 matches – their longest streak in the French top flight since going 21 games without defeat between May 2018 and January 2019.
Some Brazilian magic in the first half |
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English)
Marseille had Pau Lopez to thank for keeping PSG at bay early in the first half as he denied Lionel Messi twice inside the opening four minutes, while also blocking Achraf Hakimi after Kylian Mbappe picked out the full-back less than 60 seconds later.
Lopez then demonstrated wonderful reflexes to tip over Mbappe s deflected 25-yard effort, before Messi s fierce free-kick rattled the crossbar.
But the hosts broke the deadlock just before the break. Marco Verratti robbed Amine Harit of possession before Vitinha and Mbappe combined to set up Neymar, whose first-time shot went in off the post.
Marseille came close to equalising early in the second half, with Jonathan Clauss latching onto Alexis Sanchez’s lofted throughball before drawing smart reflexes out of Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Verratti and Mbappe almost doubled the lead at the other end, but the visitors hopes of salvaging a point were effectively dashed 18 minutes from time when Gigot was shown a straight red card for rashly taking out Neymar.
Messi was marginally off target with an attempted dink from Mbappe s throughball later on, but PSG held out to pull clear at the top of Ligue 1.
What does it mean? PSG maintain dominant Marseille record
PSG have now won 21 of their past 26 meetings with Marseille across all competitions, losing just once during that span.
Meanwhile, Igor Tudor s side have suffered successive top-flight defeats for the first time in a year.
Number nine for Neymar
The joint-top scorer in Ligue 1, Neymar took his domestic tally for the campaign to nine goals (level with Jonathan David).
The Brazil international has now found the net in his last two top-flight appearances in the Classique, after scoring just once in his first six games against Marseille.
A record for Lopez
Although he was on the losing side, the scoreline could have been a lot worse for Marseille but for the performance of Lopez.
The goalkeeper produced a string of impressive saves to keep PSG largely at bay, with his final tally of eight the highest he has recorded in a Ligue 1 game.
What s next?
PSG will look to build on their momentum away at Ajaccio on Friday, while Marseille have the chance to bounce back when they host Lens the following day.
