Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi were among the goals as Paris Saint-Germain turned in a counter-attacking clinic to beat Marseille.
PSG spent most of Sunday proving that it helps to have two of the best players in the world. The Parisians weren't always good, but they relied on their stars, who took over in the big moments to inspire a 3-0 victory that takes them eight points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 standings.
After being pinned back for the first 20 minutes, PSG exploded. Mbappe was first, darting behind the Marseille backline, latching on to Messi's pass, and finding the bottom corner.
Messi followed shortly after, this time turning home a cross from Mbappe to give the Ligue 1 leaders a 2-0 lead. The 35-year-old's simple finish was his 700th goal at club level, and he is now just one goal away from matching Cristiano Ronaldo's all-time European record.
The duo hit on the break again shortly after half time. Messi provided the pass, with a lovely curled chip into the path of Mbappe. The forward buried it with aplomb, guiding the ball into the far corner with an outside-of-the-foot volley for his 200th goal in a PSG shirt – level with Edinson Cavani as the club's all-time record scorer.
Marseille had some chances as the half wore on, but Gianluigi Donnarumma made a series of neat saves, while PSG's backline produced a handful of important clearances.
For all of the criticism levelled at PSG and head coach Christophe Galtier, the Ligue 1 leaders still have Mbappe and Messi. That, as it turns out, is a good thing.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Stade Velodrome…
GettyWINNER: Lionel Messi
This was a modern Messi classic. He doesn't run much anymore, nor does he affect play as he did in his Barcelona heyday. But he can still produce game-defining moments.
And that was the case against Marseille, as the forward was deadly when required. He assisted PSG's first, threading a perfectly-weighted pass into the stride of Mbappe. He scored the second shortly after, buzzing into the penalty area before finishing from inside the six-yard box for his 700th club career goal.
And then, the third. Messi curved a ball over the back four, which Mbappe turned in with an outside-of-the-foot volley to establish an unassailable lead.
It was one of those performances where Messi makes everything look so easy. He seldom sprinted; he never really seemed to . Still, he lifted his team to a win nonetheless.
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Neymar
Was this the game that suggested that Neymar is surplus to requirements?
PSG were far more dangerous in the absence of the Brazilian attacker, who has been sidelined due to ankle ligament damage, and are now arguably better overall without him. Neymar, brilliant as he is, slows the game down. He constricts the spaces, allows opponents to recover, and can be detrimental to the flow of an attack. For all of the brilliant, eye-catching moments, he is something of an awkward fit in this side.
And Sunday was perfect proof. Mbappe and Messi were devastating on the break and worked well in tandem with a more aggressive midfield trio backing them up. There are certainly benefits to having Neymar in the side, especially when PSG play against teams that will sit back a bit more. But in these open contests, the Brazilian is no longer a necessity.
GettyWINNER: Kylian Mbappe
Turns out the other guy isn't too bad at football either.
Mbappe was radically different to Messi on Sunday. He was all energy, a blur of legs and tricks. And it was just too much for Marseille. The winger started deep, but eventually pushed higher up the pitch, tasked with running in behind a worryingly open Marseille back line.
And he was devastating once he got into the right positions. Mbappe scored the opener with a dash into space and finish. He grabbed the third with a curved run and volley. He added an assist for good measure, nutmegging a defender with a probing cross that Messi turned in from short range.
There could have been one or two more, had Pau Lopez not made two big stops. Still, Mbappe will take the brace. He is now PSG's joint all-time leading goalscorer with 200 goals. If he sticks around, there will be a lot more to come.
LOSER: The title race
Well, that was fun while it (maybe) lasted.
There has been a new competitor to PSG's title hopes every week. First, it was Lorient. Then it was Lens' turn. And going into Sunday, Marseille were the newly anointed challengers. And it makes sense. Marseille are direct, intense and dynamic. They have pace on the break and are solid enough defensively to make some noise atop the table.
But their hopes crumbled over 90 commanding Parisian minutes. PSG battered their league rivals without having to dominate play, simply relying on their two-star men to brush aside the second-placed team.
Marseille weren't at their best on the day, and committed a series of mistakes that led to two of PSG's goals. But near-perfection is required to compete with the reigning champs. Marseille, for all of their strengths, can't reach the same level every single week.
It's not over yet, but it's difficult to see which team can push PSG next.