PSG’s 17-year-old midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery now has goal contributions in his last five club appearances after thumping home the second in a comfy 3-0 home win over Montpellier overnight – with marauding fullback Achraf Hakimi notching two assists on an evening where overlapping runs were devastating.
Hakimi the catalyst as PSG return top
- Kang-in Lee, Zaire-Emery and second-half substitute Vitinha all on the scoresheet as PSG return top of Ligue 1 on 24 points from 11 matches before Nice, Monaco and the chasing pack prepare for weekend fixtures
- Since beating humbled 4-1 by Premier League side Newcastle on their Champions League travels in Group F on Oct. 4, Luis Enrique’s side have now won five games straight in all competitions for the first time in a year
- It’s back to the UCL next week: Serie A side Milan will look to avenge their 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture on Tuesday night in MD4, before an away trip to Euro-chasing Reims beckons four days later for French champions
Luis Enrique’s PSG kicked off MD11 with a predictably commanding home victory over Montpellier, extending their H2H win streak to 10 games and keeping a clean sheet courtesy of Gianluigi Donnarumma’s quick thinking when called upon.
The last time PSG were beaten in this fixture (3-2 in April 2019), only one player – captain Marquinhos – remains from that matchday squad. It speaks to the succession of changes in a younger and more ambitious side keen to defy preconceived notions the current crop aren’t good enough to conquer Europe’s elite.
On one hand, you can certainly see why they would be bullish.
Armed with Kylian Mbappe, who finished third in Ballon d’Or voting this year, at the heart of their attack is an envious blessing. Couple that with two international colleagues in summer signings Ousmane Dembele and Randal Kolo Muani, both have shown enough – inconsistent tendencies aside – to justify creative confidence.
That’s without touching on Manuel Ugarte, the Marco Verratti replacement settling quickly since a £50m switch from Sporting, or the blossoming teenager Warren Zaire-Emery, who at 17 has already drawn comparisons to Jude Bellingham and other European clubs are sniffing around at his contract situation as it expires in 2025.
The sight of Achraf Hakimi flying forward was a scary sight for Montpellier, as he cut the ball across the box and an Mbappe dummy laid the foundations for an overlapping Kang-in Lee to latch onto, and fire into the far corner after 10 minutes.
Dembele played a game-high five key passes and forced Lecomte into the first of six saves on the night midway through the first-half, before Donnarumma was called into action and his sweeper keeper senses tested as the visitors continued finding space to exploit down the right vacated by Hakimi’s forward runs.
Lee and Mbappe combined, the latter teed up Dembele but Theo Sainte Luce – on as a first-half substitute after Issiaga Sylla went down injured – made an important block to thwart the former Barcelona man from doubling their lead before the break.
However, he and his Montpellier teammates couldn’t stop Dembele wriggling his way into the area and a deft backheel set up Zaire-Emery to thump home a brilliantly-worked move. Having scuffed an earlier individual effort, there would be no miscue this time around for a fearless teenager improving all the time.
Eight minutes later, it was three and easy for the hosts: Dembele found Hakimi, who again spotted teammates in support and fired a low cross into the area for Vitinha – who replaced Lee four minutes earlier – to slam home into the far corner.
Overlapping runs proved troublesome for Michel Der Zakarian’s side to handle all evening and ultimately, PSG’s quality was too much to handle.
Akor Adams, Montpellier’s top goalscorer with seven this term, was largely anonymous while 2004-born France winger Khalil Fayad was their only livewire in the final third – largely centred around counter-attacking opportunities.
What’s next?
As previously mentioned, PSG still have Champions League business to take care of: Milan, Newcastle and Dortmund between now and mid-December. Sandwiched in there is league play, Reims and Monaco their toughest tests before Christmas.
Having alternated wins and losses in their last four, Montpellier face a tricky test against second-placed Nice next up in Friday’s televised fixture (8pm BST). After the international break… Brest, Monaco, Lens, Metz and Marseille all await before 2024.
Picture source: Getty Images
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