Angel Di Maria scored his 50th Ligue 1 goal as champions PSG beat Nîmes, while there were also victories for OL and Monaco on a night when the top four in the Ligue 1 Uber Eats table all won.
THE MATCH
After losing 3-2 at Lorient on Sunday, Mauricio Pochettino's PSG desperately needed the three points as they took on Nîmes, another struggling club. PSG looked more like themselves as they swept aside Nîmes, making light of the fact that Neymar missed the game through suspension.
Moise Kean had already hit the post (11') before Di Maria opened the scoring (18') as he intercepted a Lamine Fomba pass, advanced into the area and beat Baptiste Reynet. Once that goal had gone in the result never looked in doubt and defender Thilo Kehrer hit the crossbar with a header (23').
Pablo Sarabia, the Spaniard starting for the first time under Pochettino made it 2-0 (36') as he headed in an excellent curled Di Maria cross from the right. Sergio Rico, deputising for Keylor Navas, saved superbly from Fomba's powerful header (39').
Nîmes enjoyed a brighter spell either side of half-time but PSG definitively put the seal on the match as Mbappé (68') surprised Reynet with a superb curled shot that took the division's leading scorer onto 15 for the season.
With the other leading title contenders all winning, this was just what Pochettino and his team needed.
THE PLAYER: Angel Di Maria
Di Maria became the 11th PSG player to reach the 50-goal mark in Ligue 1 Uber Eats in what was his best display since fellow Argentinian Pochettino came to the club. Di Maria, out of contract at the end of the season, scored the first before setting up the second and supplied the antepenultimate pass for the third goal.
THE STAT: 6
Paris Saint-Germain have won their last six Ligue 1 Uber Eats games against Nîmes.
Lyon and Monaco win, Marseille held
Elswehere, Lyon were indebted to Brazilian international Lucas Paqueta, who scored the only goal of the game at Dijon. Paqueta's 22nd-minute goal kept OL two points back from LOSC and a point in front of PSG.
The 100th Côte d'Azur derby went the way of Monaco as Niko Kovac's side made it six straight wins to kick off 2021. Wissam Ben Yedder scored both goals for the hosts in a 2-1 win, either side of Pierre Lees-Melou's equaliser.
Arkadiusz Milik marked his first Marseille start with a goal at Lens to put the visitors 2-0 up in northern France but the home team battled back to 2-2 in OM's first outing without André Villas-Boas as coach.
Nantes are still looking for their first win under Raymond Domenech following a 1-1 draw at Saint-Etienne. Randal Kolo Muani's opener for the visitors was cancelled out by Mahdi Camara.
