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PSG were held to a goalless stalemate by Marseille in a tense Le Classique game in Ligue 1 on Sunday. Both sides saw a goal disallowed in the first half before Achraf Hakimi was sent off for the visitors after the break for catching Cengiz Under.
Les Parisiens threatened Marseille's goal a few times, with Lionel Messi seeing a close-range header tipped over the bar by Pau Lopez. The home side, driven by the guile and energy of Dimitri Payet, asked questions of PSG's defence, but lacked their usual cutting edge to truly trouble them.
This was the first time since November 1998 that a clash between the Le Classique rivals ended goalless at the Stade Velodrome. On that note, here are the five major talking points from the game:
#5 First-half VAR madness sets pulses racing in Le Classique
Le Classique, though not as glamorous as its other counterparts across Europe, has had some really intense clashes between Marseille and PSG over the years. The hype was palpable in its latest edition, as both teams had goals disallowed by VAR inside the opening 20 minutes. That really set the pulses racing inside the Stade Velodrome.
Neymar thought he'd helped put Les Parisiens in front after drilling a cross to Mbappe, forcing an own goal from Peres. But it was soon ruled out, as the Brazilian was found offside in the build-up.
Marseille were given a huge let-off, and just about five minutes later, appeared to grab the lead themselves when Milik fired home from close range. However, following another VAR review, that was chalked off, too, as Lirola, who made the pass to the Polish striker, was offside in the build-up.
Two goals at both ends disallowed in the space of five minutes - Le Classique was well and truly on.
#4 Did Achraf Hakimi deserve to get sent off?
PSG were dealt a huge blow when Achraf Hakimi was sent off just before the hour mark, reducing them to ten men. The Moroccan caught Cengiz Under while making a recovery run that was initially unpunished. But the referee gave him a red after a quick VAR review.
It seemed a bit harsh, as the contact was just outside the box. Had it been inside, perhaps, the sending off would've been more justified.
Nevertheless, given the clear run the Frenchman had at goal, Hakimi's foul was seen as a denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity. That left the match official with no option but to brandish a red, handing Marseille a huge opportunity to win the game.
#3 Should Marseille have been given a penalty for Danilo's foul?
Early on in the second half, Marseille made a penalty appeal after Payet was brought down inside the area by Danilo in what seemed like a clear foul. But the referee waved play on.
Replays showed that the Portuguese had stepped across the Marseille forward and put an arm on his back while trying to stop him. That sent Payet to the ground.
The referee, though, deemed the contact to be too soft to be given a penalty, asking for the match to go on, in what was a real let-off for PSG.
#2 Dimitri Payet is a beast
Since leaving the Premier League, he has not been in the limelight much, but Dimitri Payet continues to show what an exceptional player he is. The Frenchman was the undisputed star of Le Classique, stealing PSG stars' thunder with a fine attacking display.
He was central to everything good Marseille conjured in the match, creating many chances and making exquisite set-piece deliveries. Yet his best moment of the match was when he snatched the ball off Messi and then broke into an amazing run to leave the Argentine bamboozled.
#1 Messi yet to score first Ligue 1 goal for PSG
It's frankly astonishing that Lionel Messi is yet to open his account in Ligue 1. It was his fourth game in the competition, and he was expected to break the duck. But the Argentine ace wasn't at his usual best, failing to light up the Stade Velodrome on his Le Classique debut.
He saw two good efforts saved by Pau Lopez. The first was a powerful header, and also the closest Messi came to scoring, but the Spaniard tipped that over the crossbar.
The former Villarreal custodian then denied Messi again a few minutes later with a comfortable save. In the 42nd minute, Messi's poor luck in front of goal continued, as he saw a curled effort fly just wide.
As frustrating as it may be for fans who're desperately waiting to celebrate, Messi's goals should eventually come.
