Lille 1-5 PSG: Player ratings as Parisiens ease to victory
Paris Saint-Germain turned on the style on Sunday night, romping to a 5-1 win over Lille to go 13 points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 table.
The hosts applied some pressure early on, but it would be PSG who took the lead inside 10 minutes. Danilo Pereira was the scorer and he will never have an easier finish, with Lille goalkeeper Ivo Grbic spilling Nuno Mendes' cross straight into his path.
Les Dogues responded well to going behind and grabbed an equaliser midway through the first half. Hatem Ben Arfa was the inspiration, dancing past Angel Di Maria before laying one on a plate for Sven Botman to sweep home.
Again, Lille would be undone by some shoddy goalkeeping. This time Grbic missed a punch from Lionel Messi's corner, allowing Presnel Kimpembe to score. Messi turned from provider to scorer before the break too, latching onto a kind ricochet and lifting the ball delicately into the net.
The goals kept on coming after the break with Danilo scoring his second of a very rare brace in the 51st minute. This time he shot from outside the box, with a wicked deflection sending it past the hapless Grbic.
PSG continued to outclass their opposition and Mbappe got in on the act with just over 20 minutes left to play, curling a shot into the top corner for what was the goal of the game.
Here are your player ratings...
PSG player ratings
1. Goalkeeper & defenders
Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK) - 6/10 - Surprisingly forced into his fair share of saves throughout the contest. Took a nasty knee to the face and battled on.
Achraf Hakimi (RB) - 7/10 - Defensively he was suspect at times but did win the ball high up the pitch. Dangerous going forward.
Marquinhos (CB) - 6/10 - Spread the play with his long passing but did not look entirely comfortable when Lille started to click up front.
Presnel Kimpembe (CB) - 7/10 - Slipped free of his marker to score from a corner. Distributed at an elite level.
Nuno Mendes (LB) - 7/10 - Got up and down the left side admirably all night and created the opening goal.
2. Midfielders
Leandro Paredes (CM) - 8/10 - Kept his side moving in midfield and plugged the gaps – a role few PSG players are fond of.
Danilo Pereira (CM) - 8/10 - Quite possibly the worst brace of all time. But hey, they all count right?
Marco Verratti (CM) - 8/10 - Potentially the most press-resistant midfielder in the world right now. So, so comfortable on the ball and vital to making this team of all-stars tick.
3. Forwards
Lionel Messi (RF) - 8/10 - Set up one goal, scored another and then hit the bar in an imposing first-half display. Chilled out a little after the break. He deserved it to be fair.
Kylian Mbappe (ST) - 7/10 - Never stopped trying to make things happen and got his reward when he netted a fine goal.
Angel Di Maria (LF) - 5/10 - Pulled off a beautiful nutmeg early on and tested the Lille backline consistently with his dribbling. Lost Ben Arfa for the goal, not that it mattered in the end.
4. Substitutes
Julian Draxler (LF) - 6/10 - Did not do much of note in his 45 minutes on the field.
Thilo Kehrer (CB) - 6/10
Xavi Simons (CM) - N/A