With no away fans in attendance, a hostile atmosphere greeted the PSG players as they stepped out onto enemy territory against a Marseille side who were looking to respond to a heavy defeat in midweek European action.
The hosts made a fast start but lacked the cutting edge to threaten PSG’s backline, and while Luis Enrique’s men were able to fashion a clear-cut chance inside the opening quarter-hour, Ousmane Dembele could only direct his chipped effort onto the roof of the net.
Marseille’s first effort at goal didn’t arrive until the 24-minute mark, though Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s effort was easily gathered by Matvey Safonov.
Bruno Genesio’s side were firmly on the back foot by that point, and while they were able to get in at the break on level terms having withstood heavy pressure, frustration lingered after Neal Maupay spurned their best opening when he scuffed a shot from a promising position.
A rousing half-time team talk from Enrique prompted a PSG onslaught following the restart. Desire Doue, Joao Neves and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia all tested Jeffrey de Lange within five minutes of the restart, before Kvaratskhelia came agonisingly close to the opener with an audacious flick from Dembele’s cutback.
The Parisians continued to knock on the door and finally broke the deadlock in the 66th minute through substitute Ferran Torres. The scorer of the winning goal in the FIFA World Cup final met Doue’s cross with a powerful header, thumping home his seventh goal in six appearances for PSG.
Marseille’s response was spirited, as just six minutes later they restored parity. Hojbjerg won the ball back and fed Amine Gouiri, who duly laid the ball on to Angel Gomes to apply a superb finish for his first Ligue 1 goal since November.
Jubilation in the stands was extremely short-lived, though, as within two minutes PSG were back ahead through Marquinhos, who swept home Nuno Mendes’ cross to score against Marseille for the first time since February 2017.
A nightmare few moments for the hosts saw PSG academy graduate Timothy Weah sent off, with a second yellow card shown his way for hauling down Mendes.
Further damage was avoided thanks to De Lange’s save from Mendes’ shot, while Nayef Aguerd squandered the chance to rescue an unlikely point when he headed wide from close range in stoppage time.
Marseille therefore suffered a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 defeat - a fate they last fell to in April 2015. An eye-watering 39th H2H loss of this century will see Marseille spend the international break in the relegation zone, while PSG climb to sixth thanks to a sixth win in their last nine Ligue 1 trips.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain)
