Goncalo Ramos helped himself to a double as Paris St Germain went 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after a 4-1 win over Lyon without needing to call upon Kylian Mbappe. (More Football News)
The France international was left sitting on the bench as Ramos struck twice after Nemanja Matic’s own goal and Lucas Beraldo’s strike, with Ernest Nuamah replying at the Parc des Princes in a dress rehearsal for next month’s Coupe de France final.
Victory strengthened the champions’ grip on the title, with Monaco, who had Eliesse Ben Seghir and Wilfried Singo sent off in stoppage time, having earlier gone second after winning 2-0 at Brest to leapfrog them.
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The home side, who have not lost in the league since September, wasted little time in establishing their authority, although they needed a helping hand from the unwitting Matic to do so.
Bradley Barcola, playing against his former club, made ground down the left before feeding a third-minute pass in to Vitinha, whose attempted cross clipped the midfielder and flew past keeper Anthony Lopes.
It took a last-ditch block from Jake O’Brien to prevent Randal Kolo Muani from making it 2-0 with just five minutes played, but the respite proved fleeting as Barcola flicked on Marco Asensio’s corner and defender Beraldo fired into the roof of the net from point-blank range.
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Gianluigi Donnarumma had to claw away Said Benrahma’s deflected cross, but Barcola called upon Lopes with a 14th-minute strike and Kolo Muani scuffed wide after another enterprising run from Barcola, with the bulk of traffic heading towards the visitors’ goal.
O’Brien came to Lyon’s rescue once again with a perfectly-timed tackle on the goal-bound Kolo Muani after Achraf Hakimi had played him in with a fine 23rd-minute pass.
Donnarumma tipped away Alexandre Lacazette’s rising drive as Pierre Sage’s men enjoyed a period of possession, but Ramos’ thumping header from Hakimi’s cross made it 3-0 13 minutes before the break, and it might have been worse for the visitors with Barcola hitting a post from a tight angle seconds later.
Nuamah reduced the deficit with a skidding effort and then clipped the outside of a post as half-time approached, but Ramos struck again with 42 minutes gone, sliding in to dispatch Asensio’s low cross after Warren Zaire-Emery had broken at pace.
PSG laid siege to Lopes’ goal on their return and Ramos whipped a 53rd-minute shot on the turn into the keeper’s midriff, but Donnarumma had to save from Rayan Cherki and Maxence Caqueret as the visitors responded.
With Lyon opting for damage limitation after the break, clear-cut chances were at a premium for the hosts and indeed it was Donnarumma who had to repel a late attempt from substitute Mama Balde.
