PSG tame Marseille to secure top spot

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain outclassed their bitter rivals Marseille 3-0 at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday, sending the champions three points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after Monaco suffered their first defeat of the season.

The highly-anticipated first Classique of the season was all but over as a contest by the interval as PSG raced into a three-goal lead over Marseille, who had lost Amine Harit to a straight red card midway through the first period.

"It´s a very positive result," said PSG coach Luis Enrique. "That is a given when you win a Classique away from home with such authority. "We dedicate this victory to the fans. It´s an important match for them and for our place in the table."

Joao Neves gave the visitors the perfect start early on, before a disastrous 10-minute period just prior to the half-hour saw Marseille lose Harit and ship a second goal when captain Leonardo Balerdi turned into his own net.

Bradley Barcola then tucked away PSG´s third, and his eighth of the season. It was a chastening night for Roberto De Zerbi´s Marseille, who had enjoyed a strong start to the campaign and went into the match with the possibility of joining their biggest rivals on 20 points with a victory.

But instead they endured their 12th-straight home match against PSG in the league without a win as hundreds of their fans had already made for the exit by half-time. "I´m disappointed. We had prepared a match of courage and personality. But up until Harit was sent off, there was neither courage nor personality," said De Zerbi.

"It wasn´t the match we had in mind and that´s a problem. We can lose, but when you wear the Marseille shirt, you can´t play without personality and courage," added the Italian coach. Portuguese midfielder Neves made his mark seven minutes into his first Classique when he pounced on a handling error by goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli to open the scoring.

In the 20th minute, the match swung definitively in PSG´s favour when Harit was given his marching orders after catching Marquinhos in the stomach with a high boot. "The sending-off changed the game," said Luis Enrique. "From then on, the match was harder for our opponents and less open."

As if to compound Marseille´s misfortunes, Balerdi doubled the away side´s lead nine minutes later as he stretched to cut out a seemingly routine cross and ended up knocking the ball past the advancing Rulli and into the goal.

Barcola put the cherry on the cake for PSG five minutes before the break, finishing after determined build-up play by Ousmane Dembele.

- ´Two stupid mistakes´ -

Earlier, high-flying Monaco passed up the opportunity to go top of the table when they lost 2-1 at neighbours Nice. Breel Embolo gave the visitors a first-half lead before Nice struck back via Evann Guessand and Gaetan Laborde to inflict 10-man Monaco´s first loss of the domestic campaign. The principality side remain in second place on 20 points, three points behind leaders PSG. "I´m not happy with the result," said Monaco coach Adi Huetter.