Neymar’s ninth goal of the season moved Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) three points clear at the Ligue 1 summit following a 1-0 victory over Marseille.
The Brazil international’s strike in first-half stoppage time was enough to settle the Classique as PSG registered 23 shots on goal in a deserved triumph at Parc des Princes.
Marseille had Samuel Gigot sent off for a dangerous challenge on Neymar as the visitors suffered their first away defeat of the season.
Meanwhile, Christophe Galtier’s side stretched their unbeaten league run to 20 matches.
It is their longest streak in the French top-flight since going 21 games without defeat between May 2018 and January 2019.
Marseille had Pau Lopez to thank for keeping PSG at bay early in the first half as he denied Lionel Messi twice inside the opening four minutes.
He also blocking Achraf Hakimi after Kylian Mbappe picked out the full-back less than 60 seconds later.
Lopez then demonstrated wonderful reflexes to tip over Mbappe’s deflected 25-yard effort, before Messi’s fierce free-kick rattled the crossbar.
But the hosts broke the deadlock just before the break.
Marco Verratti robbed Amine Harit of possession before Vitinha and Mbappe combined to set up Neymar, whose first-time shot went in off the post.
Marseille came close to equalising early in the second half, with Jonathan Clauss latching onto Alexis Sanchez’s lofted throughball before drawing smart reflexes out of Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Verratti and Mbappe almost doubled the lead at the other end, but the visitors’ hopes of salvaging a point were effectively dashed 18 minutes from time.
This was when Gigot was shown a straight red card for rashly taking out Neymar.
Messi was marginally off target with an attempted dink from Mbappe’s throughball later on, but PSG held out to pull clear at the top of Ligue 1.
Mbappe slams transfer reports, insists he’s happy at PSG
Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe has described reports he wants to leave Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in January as “completely wrong”.
Mbappe, who played in PSG’s 1-0 Ligue 1 win over Marseille on Sunday, was said to have felt betrayed by the club hierarchy.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup-winning 23-year-old signed a new contract in May, after months of uncertainty.
But he was reported to have become unsettled once more after a failure to meet his demands both tactically and in recruitment.
PSG football advisor Luis Campos emphatically denied those reports by claiming Mbappe had not informed the club of such intentions.
Head coach Galtier has also expressed confusion over the speculation.
The France international has now had his say on the reports, which came up just before PSG’s UEFA Champions League match against Benfica on Tuesday.
He is adamant the reports are not true.
“I’m very happy, I never asked to leave in January,” he said, while speaking with French media.
“The info came out on the day of the match, I didn’t understand. I’m not even remotely involved in this news. I was just as shocked as everyone else.
“People may think I’m involved, but I’m not involved at all, I was taking a nap.
“My entourage was at my little brother’s game. All the people who take care of me weren’t there. So, we were flabbergasted when we found out.
“Afterwards, we had to deal with it. There was a game to play. Just to say it’s completely wrong, and I’m very happy.”
Mbappe had been a target for Real Madrid before agreeing to prolong his stay in Paris.
He said: “I am a football player. The most important thing for me is to play and give my best on the pitch. If I start spreading myself too thin, I will get tired very quickly.
“When you play at PSG, you know what you’re getting into, what it’s going to involve in the good and in the bad. You have to be ready.
“Those who come here know, we warn them. We’re right in it at the moment, but we are focused on winning games and titles.”
Mbappe has started the season in prolific form in front of goal, scoring 12 goals in 14 games across all competitions for the French champions.
