Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain thrashed Montpellier 6-2 on Sunday. (More Football News)
Mbappe, who is leaving the club at the end of the season, was outstanding as PSG killed off a Montpellier fightback with four second-half goals at the Stade de la Mosson.
Vitinha and Mbappe got PSG off to a fine start but the hosts hit back before the break with an Arnaud Nordin header and Teji Savanier penalty.
Mbappe responded with two more after the break, either side of a Lee Kang-in strike, and Nuno Mendes completed the scoring late on to leave PSG 12 points clear at the top.
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Montpellier began confidently with Leo Leroy calling Gianluigi Donnarumma into action and Wahbi Khazri shooting over but PSG were soon ahead with a fine Vitinha strike.
The Portuguese received the ball from an Mbappe pass some 30 yards from goal and wrongfooted the defence with a jinking run before curling a shot into the bottom corner.
Montpellier tried to find a quick response but Lucas Mincarelli missed the target and PSG doubled their lead with the first of Mbappe’s treble in the 22nd minute.
The France captain burst clear from the halfway line and exchanged passes with Randal Kolo Muani before finishing from a tight angle.
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Mbappe threatened again soon after but this time Dimitry Bertaud was equal to his effort and Montpellier replied.
Nordin served warning when he forced a save from Donnarumma in the 26th minute and he did better on the half-hour when he headed in an awkwardly bouncing ball after PSG failed to clear a cross.
The hosts then got themselves right back into the game with a controversial penalty on the stroke of half-time.
Danilo Pereira’s poor backpass was seized upon by Tanguy Coulibaly and he was adjudged to have been fouled after colliding with Donnarumma.
Donnarumma protested his innocence, claiming he had blocked a shot before the coming together, but the decision stood after a VAR check. Savanier rifled into the roof of the net from the spot.
PSG, and particularly Mbappe, stepped up a gear after the break. The visitors reclaimed the lead on 50 minutes when Mbappe clipped a superb shot into the top corner from outside the area and another quickly followed.
