Paris Saint-Germain returned to the top of Ligue 1 with a controlled 2-0 win over AJ Auxerre at the Parc des Princes, handing the visitors a fourth straight away defeat and a second in a row at this venue.
With Ousmane Dembélé absent through injury and visible only in tifo before kick off, early invention from Gonçalo Ramos and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia hinted that the hosts had ample firepower. Aside from a Warren Zaïre Emery strike that deflected kindly for Donovan Léon, clear chances were scarce in the opening half hour, but the tempo soon shifted. Léon pushed away a long-range effort from Lee Kang in before reacting again to keep out Kvaratskhelia after the Georgian spun and shot. From the short corner that followed, Vitinha’s deep cross found Illia Zabarnyi at the back post, and the defender guided a cushioned volley inside the far upright for his first goal for the club, as PSG set a new mark of scoring in 36 consecutive home league matches.
Two minutes after the restart, Lee slid substitute Bradley Barcola through on goal, only for Léon to smother. A rehearsed short corner brought the second eight minutes later, with Senny Mayulu delivering for the unmarked Lucas Beraldo to head in. Having posed little threat, Auxerre were almost back in it when Kévin Danois’ dipping effort struck the post with Lucas Chevalier beaten.
Auxerre had scored exactly once in 12 of their previous 14 outings, and only sharp reactions from Chevalier to deny Danny Namaso prevented a repeat. An Achraf Hakimi chip was then ruled out for offside as PSG chased a third, while late on, Quentin Ndjantou’s strike thudded into Léon’s chest. Two goals proved enough for Luis Enrique’s side to maintain a perfect home record in all competitions this season and extend Auxerre’s winless run against PSG, which stretches back to 2011.
