Neymar moves PSG clear at the top of Ligue 1

PSG and Marseille faced each other in 'Le Classique'. This was a spectacular battle for the top spot in Ligue 1, which was claimed by PSG courtesy of a Neymar goal.

It was the 103rd meeting between the two clubs, with the Parisians winning 46 against the 32 of Marseille. In those matches PSG have scored 147 goals, which is vastly more than the 119 of Marseille.

Neymar gives PSG the lead just before half-time

PSG started with a blistering pace. First it was Lionel Messi who could have put the home side ahead with a double chance. Later, Achraf Hakimi had the chance. Kylian Mbappe put in an excellent cross from the left flank that left the winger alone in front of Pau Lopez, but the Spanish goalkeeper prevented the goal.

Marseille responded with a shot from Alexis Sanchez and Matteo Guendouzi, both from the edge of the area. However, PSG could have taken the lead with two shots by Mbappe, but both were thwarted by the exceptional Lopez.

The clearest chance came in the 35th minute, when Messi's freekick hit the crossbar. Nevertheless, PSG would not make any more mistakes and they took the lead in injury time at the end of the first-half. Mbappe put a pass on a plate for Neymar inside the penalty area, and he finished it with aplomb.

Marseille went down to ten men

In the second half, Marseille came out the stronger team with a lot of motivation. which spilled over into emotion. First Nuno Tavares and then Jonathan Clauss had chances, but Gianluigi Donnarumma preserved PSG's lead. The home side responded with a one-on-one from Marco Verratti that Pau Lopez saved yet again.

With 15 minutes to go, Samuel Gigot committed a brutal foul on Neymar and the referee did not hesitate to show him a straight red card. Before that, Pau Lopez frustrated the hosts further with two further stops.

Despite having one extra player, the scoreboard did not move again, although PSG had great chances in the second half.

After this victory, Christophe Galtier's side remain leaders with 29 points, while Marseille have now gone two games without a win in a row in the league.