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PSG turned on the style as they came from behind to beat Saint-Etienne 3-1 at the Parc des Princes.
Kylian Mbappe bagged a brace and Danilo Pereira added another as PSG extended their lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table to 16 points. The Parisians were sloppy in the first quarter of an hour and Pereira had the ball stolen off his feet by Dennis Bouanga, who slotted the ball home to make it 1-0 in favour of the visitors.
Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe put on a show for PSG
But since then it always looked like Paris Saint-Germain were going to claw their way back into the game.
They finally made a breakthrough in the 42nd minute as Lionel Messi set up Kylian Mbappe for PSG's opener. The duo combined once again two minutes into the second half to establish a lead for PSG.
Danilo Pereira made amends for his earlier mistake as he rose high above everyone else to execute a towering header with precision to make it 3-1.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of PSG's best players against Saint-Etienne.
#5 Presnel Kimpembe
Presnel Kimpembe had a nervy start to the game. But save for a misplaced pass to Marquinhos which resulted in a corner to Saint-Etienne inside the first 10 minutes of the game, the Frenchman hardly put a foot wrong.
He made an excellent last-ditch tackle to deny Saint-Etienne a two-goal lead in the first half. Kimpembe was the more active of the two PSG centre-backs and he made five clearances and one interception.
Paris Saint-Germain fans might be ardently waiting for Sergio Ramos to regain fitness, but Kimpembe has done a good job for them this season.
#4 Nuno Mendes
Nuno Mendes turned in a characteristically energetic performance down the left flank for Paris Saint-Germain against Saint-Etienne. The young left-back is growing in confidence and he was once again impressive in attack for Mauricio Pochettino's men.
PSG are almost certain to make his loan deal permanent for €40 million at the end of the season. The 19-year-old made six tackles and two interceptions last night. He was a tenacious presence throughout and won six out of his seven ground duels as well.
This was the Portuguese international's first Ligue 1 start since the game against Rennes in the first week of February. He has shown why he needs to start more regularly and has really been impressive all season.
Mendes has enormous potential and could go onto become a big player for Paris Saint-Germain in the future.
#3 Danilo Pereira
Danilo Pereira took some time to grow into the game. He was tasked with providing cover to his defence and also joining the attack quite regularly. Pereira was sloppy with the ball at his feet in the opening quarter of an hour and gifted Saint-Etienne their only goal of the night.
The ball was stolen from him right outside the area and Pereira gave his defenders no chance to intervene. But he seemed determined to make amends for his mistake and turned in a masterful box-to-box performance after PSG went behind.
He was impressive on both sides of the pitch and was eventually rewarded for his efforts. Pereira produced a towering header to put the Parisians 3-1 ahead seven minutes into the second half.
#2 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi might not be scoring many goals this season but his playmaking has been on another level since the turn of the year. Messi came close to scoring from a free-kick right before the half-hour mark but had his effort saved by Paul Bernardoni.
He delivered a spectacular through ball to Kylian Mbappe for PSG's opener. Messi picked out the Frenchman's run from 20 yards away and played an incisive pass which took several Saint-Etienne players out of the game all at once.
Messi then picked up his sixth assist in five games by setting up Mbappe for PSG's second goal of the night. The 34-year-old created six chances in the game and his vision and technical ability continue to be a class apart.
#1 Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe has been Paris Saint-Germain's best player this season. After a rather dull outing against Nantes, Mbappe was back to his destructive best against Saint-Etienne. His movement inside the final third has been excellent all season and last night was no different.
Mbappe made a darting run behind the opposition defence to claim a wonderful Lionel Messi pass before slotting it past Bernardoni for PSG's opener. He then produced a sublime finish two minutes into the second half to claim the lead for his side.
Five minutes later, Mbappe provided an incredible outside-of-the-boot cross for Danilo Pereira's goal. The Frenchman has now become the first player in the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season to reach double figures for both goals and assists.
Mbappe has now scored 14 goals and provided 10 assists in 24 Ligue 1 appearances this season.
