Luis Enrique’s side had come under increasing scrutiny before the international break, following a series of unconvincing displays which had left their undisputed champions-elect status in some doubt.
They took a while to assert their authority here, with Lucas Chevalier forced into a superb save to prevent Simon Ebonog from turning home Issa Soumare’s cross.
However, the hosts managed to get their noses in front a minute shy of the half-hour mark, as Nuno Mendes’ cross from the left found its way to Lee Kang-In, whose left-footed finish squirmed past a scampering Mory Diaw at his near post.
Ibrahim Mbaye would have been disappointed not to double their advantage when he blazed over from a Mendes cut-back, but Le Havre would have gone into the break feeling encouraged.
Le Club Doyen weren’t far away from restoring parity when Ayumu Seko’s speculative effort narrowly cleared the crossbar, just moments after Chevalier thwarted Yassine Kechta at his near post.
PSG had an opportunity to double their advantage shortly after the restart when Senny Mayulu strode towards goal, but he skewed his left-footed shot wide of the target.
Those hoping this would lead to a flurry of goalscoring opportunities for Enrique’s team were left disappointed, with Didier Digard’s side threatening to land a sucker punch. Chevalier was called into action again to parry away Yanis Zouaoui’s free-kick, serving as another warning sign with the scoreline still precariously poised.
The reigning champions were searching for some breathing space, and they found it in the 65th minute, courtesy of Joao Neves.
The Portuguese midfielder fired a loose ball in off the post after Bradley Barcola was denied twice in quick succession by Diaw and the Le Havre defence. It was a goal instigated by Warren Zaire-Emery’s incisive through ball, which looked likely to rubber-stamp all three points.
Undeterred, the visitors pressed forward and were inches away from halving the deficit after Soumare’s stinging strike cannoned off the post. That seemingly served as a wake-up call for PSG to hammer home their advantage, but Mendes couldn’t produce a clinical finish when he blazed over from Zaire-Emery’s delivery.
Enrique’s side still had time to add a third, as Barcola arched his run beautifully to latch onto Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s pass and dispatched a fine finish past Diaw.
The result re-establishes their two-point lead at the top of the table, while Le Havre finish the weekend in 12th after seeing a four-match unbeaten league run come to an end.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain)
