PLAYER RATINGS | PSG 3-0 Toulouse: League leaders coast to win ahead of trip to Munich

In truth, the Ligue 1 leaders were approaching their return from the final international break of the year with an eye and a half on their midweek trip to Munich. Paris Saint-Germain’s startling eleven to take on an in-form Toulouse – who had won their last three league games – notably featured an injury-diminished defence, which included Milan Škriniar, Yoram Zague, and Lucas Beraldo’s return to a central role. A post-international break misstep was not to be ruled out.

There was, in any case, a chance for Luis Enrique’s men to restore their six-point advantage on Monaco at the top of the table, with the Principality outfit having beaten fellow Champions League contenders Brest earlier in the evening.

Friday night’s fixture was played out at a predictably torpid pace, with PSG scarcely converting their dominance in possession into clear-cut chances. It was no coincidence, then, that the opener eventually came from a long-range effort – with João Neves, on the edge of the box, continuing his excellent start to the campaign by volleying in Achraf Hakimi’s cross from the right.

The hosts seemed to rediscover their clinical edge in the second half, with Warren Zaïre-Emery bundling home from close range into an open net ten minutes after the restart – although the goal was eventually ruled out after Marco Asensio was found offside in the build-up.

From then on, the dynamic of the match largely followed that of the first half, with PSG’s languid possession only punctuated by a handful of Toulouse counter-attacks. The league leaders were nevertheless out of sight five minutes from time, as Lucas Beraldo hammered home from close range after the Occitans failed to clear another Hakimi cross. Substitutes Randal Kolo Muani and Vitinha then combined in stoppage time to add to the scoreline, with the Portuguese midfielder beating the defender with a feint before sending an emphatic shot under Restes’ bar.

The fact that none of PSG’s starting front four were even involved in any of the goals will be cause for concern – even if Gonçalo Ramos’ imminent return from injury does partly alleviate those worries. Luis Enrique’s men will ostensibly be without the striker for next week’s all-important Champions League clash in Bavaria, though, and one of the makeshift false nines will need to step up and finally deliver.

PSG player ratings

Matvey Safonov, 6

Achraf Hakimi, 6

Milan Škriniar, 6

Lucas Beraldo, 7

Yoram Zague, 4 – The 18-year-old was making his first start since Matchday 1, replacing the injured Nuno Mendes for the evening. He had little involvement, but made a couple of interceptions all the while also missing several tackles. Replaced by Vitinha at the break, with Neves slotting in at left-back.