Paris-Saint Germain cemented their place at the top of Ligue 1 with a comfortable 4-0 win over ten-man Montpellier at Parc des Princes on Friday night.
A tough task was made even tougher for the visitors after goalkeeper Jonas Omlin was given his marching orders with just 18 minutes on the clock. The shot-stopper rushed out to meet Kylian Mbappe and inadvertently sent the Frenchman tumbling, with the referee amending his original yellow card to a red following a VAR check.
FULL-TIME: @PSG_English 4-0 Montpellier.
A dominant display from the Parisians which culminated in three second half goals in four minutes. Bravo, guys! #PSGMHSC
?? #ICICESTPARIS pic.twitter.com/eFbIIxn0zL
ā Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 22, 2021
The home side proceeded to take the lead just after the half hour mark, as Mbappe raced through before producing a sumptuous dink over the onrushing Dimitry Bertaud.
Having managed to limit PSG to a single goal in the opening hour, Montpellier hearts were broken as the league leaders blew them away in four second-half minutes. Firstly Neymar effectively ended the game as contest with a simple tap in, before Mauro Icardi’s thumping finish made it 3-0 and Mbappe’s second of the game completed the rout just a minute later.
With the match highlights out of the way, let’s get into the fun bit, shall we? PSG player ratings time…
Keylor Navas (GK) – 6/10 – Withdrawn at half-time after picking up a knock in the first half. The injury was probably a result of the cold weather having barely needed to move a muscle for 45 minutes.
Alessandro Florenzi (RB) – 7/10 – Dominant display on the PSG right. A constant outlet and didn’t neglect his defensive duties.
Abdou Diallo (CB) – 7/10 – Caused very little problems by the Montpellier front line. Distributed the ball well into midfield and enjoyed a comfortable evening.
Marquinhos (CB) – 6/10 – Looked to step forward where possible but his distribution was found wanting at times. Similarly to his centre-back colleague, was asked very few questions by the visitors.
Layvin Kurzawa (LB) – 8/10 – A very accomplished display full of running, energy and endeavour.
Leandro Paredes (CM) – 7/10 – Could well have played the game from his armchair. Barely put a foot wrong and kept things ticking over in midfield. Far from his most taxing performance but classy nonetheless.
Marco Verratti (CM) – 7/10 – Absolutely dominated the midfield alongside Leandro Paredes. Drifted past the opposition with ease and wasn’t afraid to stick his foot in where necessary.
Neymar (AM) – 8/10 – Tasked with sitting just off the frontline and was absolutely brilliant. Constantly popping up in pockets of space and feeding balls through to the forwards. Capped a wonderful performance with a goal.
Angel Di Maria (RW) – 7/10 – Somewhat overshadowed by his forward colleagues but continued to battle away on the PSG right. Won’t grab the headlines but still a good display.
Mauro Icardi (ST) – 8/10 – Could have – and perhaps should have – had more than the one goal, but in fairness he led the line well and took his goal superbly.
Kylian Mbappe (LW) – 9/10 – Undoubtedly the man of the match. His pace caused the visitors problems from the first whistle and it ultimately settled the game as he lured Omlin into a challenge to get him sent off and then ran through to open the scoring.
ā¶ļø @iamDaniloP + Bakker
āļø @LParedss + @layvinkurzawa #PSGMHSC pic.twitter.com/YB5OFySxiiā Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 22, 2021
Sergio Rico (GK) – 6/10
Thilo Kehrer (RB) – 6/10
Mitchel Bakker (LB) – 6/10
Danilo Pereira (CM) – 5/10
Pablo Sarabia (RW) – N/A
Source: 90mins
