Mbappe has a nightmare at his old side, but PSG win
Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint-German beat Monaco 2-1 to extend their lead to nine points at the top of Ligue 1. However, it should have been much more comfortable for the Parisians, as they uncharacteristically missed several chances.
Mbappe almost scored inside two minutes against his former club, when Neymar’s exceptional drag-back led to a precision pass into his pacey teammate. The French striker rounded keeper Danijel Subasic, but his shot hit the side netting.
An unmarked Edinson Cavani did put PSG in front, as he prodded the ball home after Julian Draxler had put it into the six-yard box. PSG had plenty of opportunities to add to their lead, with Draxler missing an open goal and Neymar hitting the post at the start of the second half.
Mbappe should have had a hat-trick, as his outstanding movement was let down by his surprisingly erratic finishing. Neymar scored from the penalty spot after he was tripped and Jemerson hit his own post when making an interception.
Joao Moutinho’s free-kick took a deflection off Mbappe’s head as the forward attempted to duck out of the way and beat PSG keeper Alphonse Areola with just nine minutes remaining. It made for nervy finish for the away side, when they should realistically have been out of sight.
No Fekir, no fear
Lyon won 5-0 at the Allianz Riviera, as Nice fell apart once again. Two goals from Memphis Depay and one each for Maxwel Cornet, Mariano and 19-year-old Myziane Maolida ensured an easy victory.
Bruno Genesio’s team are now second in the table and haven’t lost for 12 games in all competitions. They have also kept seven consecutive clean sheets, with Everton’s Ashley Williams the last player to score against the club 651 minutes ago.
Saint-Etienne and Strasbourg share the points
After two humiliating defeats, Saint-Etienne drew 2-2 with Strasbourg. They were ahead twice, but both times they conceded quickly.
Hernani was first on the scoresheet with a brilliant curler, with Jean Eudes Aholou equalising just four minutes later. The Greens took control again when Kevin Monnet-Paquet scored despite the best efforts of Bakary Kone, but the away team were level only seven minutes later following a penalty from Jonas Martin.
“There were positives in terms of our spirit and we had more possession than of late and created more chances,” confessed St Etienne coach Julien Sable. “We scored at two strategic moments but then conceded two goals from set pieces.”
Lille’s crazy week ends in a loss
Three goals in the opening 31 minutes gave Montpellier a 3-0 victory over Lille. Jerrome Roussillon, Giovanni Sio and Casimir Ninga scored the goals for Michel Der Zakarian’s men.
Lille suspended Marcelo Bielsa on Thursday, with it reported in France that he had gone on an unauthorised trip to Chile to visit his former assistant Luis Bonini, who has stomach cancer. The Argentine was then sacked the next day and replaced with an interim four-man coaching team.
“This week was unique. We only had the team for two training sessions so it’s hard to put things in place,” said Fernando Da Cruz, who is part of the managerial quartet.
Both managers happy with derby performance
Rennes won the Derby de la Bretagne, as they beat Nantes 2-1 after two goals from Wahbi Khazri. The Tunisian striker scored almost identical finishes, as his swivel shot found the far bottom corner of the net.
In between Rennes two goals, Nicollas Pallois was sent-off for a second bookable offence and Emiliano Sala blasted his penalty straight down the middle.
“Unfortunately, we let them play a bit after they scored and struggled to keep the ball. We had to dig deep in the end,” said Rennes boss Sabri Lamouchi.
Claudio Ranieri felt his team played better with 10 men before adding: “I also want to congratulate my players because I'm satisfied with their performance. We lost, but we could have won.”
Honourable mentions
Two wins in a week against direct relegation rivals has moved Amiens up to 10th in the table. They followed up their 3-0 win over Lille on Monday, with a 2-0 victory against Metz. Amiens are now unbeaten in their last seven matches in all competitions.
