Paris Saint-Germain roared to an enthralling 5-2 victory over Monaco on Friday evening at Parc des Princes.
Goncalo Ramos’s opener was cancelled out by Takumi Minamino, but a Kylian Mbappe penalty had PSG ahead at the half-time break.
Luis Enrique’s side added to their lead with 20 minutes to go when Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha struck in quick succession and, after Folarin Balogun’s consolation, Randal Kolo Muani struck a fifth in stoppage time to seal an emphatic victory.
How the game unfolded
PSG began brightest but had a real scare early on when Minamino’s effort took a deflection and fizzed into the side netting of the flat-footed Gianluigi Donnarumma’s goal.
On the counter, Mbappe drove into the Moncao box and sent a fierce effort flying at Philipp Kohn, who got a strong hand to the strike to keep the scores level, before Donnarumma had to tip a point-blank header from Soungoutou Magassa over the bar.
Monaco right-back Vanderson thought he had fired his side ahead ten minutes in when he slotted home from close range, but the offside flag was quickly raised and VAR confirmed Folarin Balogun had strayed earlier in the move.
Almost immediately after, Ramos did put PSG ahead. Kohn spilled a tame strike from Dembele right to the feet of the striker, who couldn’t miss as he tapped home.
But it didn’t take long for Monaco to tie things up. Donnarumma took too long to play out from the back played the ball straight to Minamino, whose low effort found its way through the apologetic Italian and into the back of the net.
Another strong hand from Kohn prevented a near-certain goal for Mbappe on the half-hour mark, but the PSG forward had the chance to put his side ahead seven minutes later when Dembele was caught in the box by Magassa.
Mbappe made no mistake from 12 yards and, after Donnarumma’s top save to deny Minamino, PSG went into the break ahead.
Clear-cut chances were at a premium after the interval as both sides dropped the tempo, but the first clear sight of goal saw Dembele crash home from a tight angle in the 71st minute.
Before fans even had the chance to catch their breath, Vitinha thumped home a fourth from the edge of the penalty area to remove any doubt about the result.
Balogun did pull one back shortly after and Monaco pressed hard for more goals, but PSG managed to hold on and even managed a fifth goal when Kolo Muani struck deep into stoppage time.
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6/10 – Actually really impressive with his hands but it means very little considering his continued determination to pass his way into trouble. Directly responsible for Minamino’s equaliser but did save a goal or two.
RB: Achraf Hakimi – 7/10 – A thoroughly impressive showing going forwards. Could have easily walked away with a handful of assists.
CB: Milan Skriniar – 5/10 – Not fast enough and didn’t offer enough cover at the back. Bailed out by Donnarumma on a number of occasions.
CB: Lucas Hernandez – 7/10 – Comfortable with the ball at his feet, which stands out in a defensive line with very little ball-playing abilities.
LB: Nordi Mukiele – 6/10 – A solid showing in this new position down the left. A really solid job on Golovin.
DM: Manuel Ugarte – 6/10 – In the face of mounting criticism from his own fans, Ugarte was solid, which is exactly what the Parc des Princes faithful have been asking for. Some really nice defensive flashes.
CM: Fabian Ruiz – 8/10 – Pulled the strings in midfield. Some excellent passing to keep things moving and even had some fans on social media comparing him to Spain’s greatest maestros.
CM: Vitinha – 6/10 – Uncomfortable in this midfielder/left wing hybrid role but made a telling impact with a glorious goal in the second half.
RW: Ousmane Dembele – 9/10 – An absolute menace down the right. Caused all sorts of problems for Monaco’s backline and was key to both first-half goals before scoring his own after the break.
ST: Goncalo Ramos – 7/10 – A nice, simple finish to open the scoring. The kind of goal every striker needs to build confidence.
LW: Kylian Mbappe – 7/10 – Not always involved in the game but a major threat when he did get on the ball. Took his penalty well.
Substitutes
SUB: Randal Kolo Muani (72′ for Ramos) – 7/10
SUB: Bradley Barcola (72′ for Dembele) – 6/10
SUB: Carlos Soler (82′ for Fabian) – N/A
Subs not used: Arnau Tenas (GK), Layvin Kurzawa, Danilo Pereira, Lee Kang-in, Cher Ndour, Marco Asensio
Manager
Luis Enrique – 7/10 – Questions will be asked over a handful of decisions – Vitinha as an inverted winger and Donnarumma’s requirement to play out from the back – but there’s no denying Enrique’s setup gets the most out of the majority of these players.
Player of the match: Ousmane Dembele (PSG)
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