Kylian Mbappe scored twice for the second game in a row but picked up a thigh injury as Paris Saint-Germain climbed top of Ligue 1 yesterday with a 3-1 victory at Metz. The France striker was rested for the midweek cup rout of Angers and returned to bolster PSG’s title hopes as he netted either side of Fabien Centonze’s equaliser to send the champions above Lille.
However, Mbappe was substituted in the closing minutes with a heavily strapped thigh, a worrying sign for PSG ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg at home to Manchester City. Mauro Icardi sealed the victory with a penalty a minute from time. “He took a knock to his quad, it’s a dead leg. We don’t think it’s anything serious,” Pochettino said, playing down concerns Mbappe could miss the City game. “Kylian was calm and relaxed. We hope it’s just soreness.”
PSG are now two points clear of Lille, who visit fourth-placed Lyon today while Monaco, the form side in the second half of the season, are four points back ahead of their trip to Angers. Neymar was restored to the line-up after serving a two-match ban for his red card against Lille, while Marco Verratti made his first start in over a month following a positive Covid-19 test.
Having scored twice in the dramatic 3-2 win over Saint-Etienne last weekend, Mbappe gave PSG the lead inside five minutes as he ran onto Ander Herrera’s chipped pass and fired in via the post. Centonze tested Keylor Navas as Metz sought to snap a run of nine successive league defeats by PSG, and the full-back levelled early in the second half by heading in Farid Boulaya’s cross.
Pape Matar Sarr was then denied by Navas before PSG punished Metz for losing the ball deep in their half, as Mbappe drilled in with the aid of a deflection from 20 yards. Metz goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja made a fantastic reflex stop to thwart Leandro Paredes and Herrera rattled the woodwork, with Boulaya then racing back to clear Mbappe’s dinked effort off the line.
Mbappe was replaced by Julian Draxler after appearing to hurt his thigh, and Icardi won and converted a late penalty to make it five goals in three games for the Argentine.
On Friday, Dimitri Payet scored two goals and set up Arkadiusz Milik for another as Marseille came from behind to defeat Reims 3-1. Reims took the lead when Nathanael Mbuku powered a header in at a corner, but Marseille levelled almost immediately as Payet swept in a pass from Pol Lirola.
Payet then delivered a fantastic low cross for Poland international Milik to tap in from close range in first-half stoppage time. Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda turned an effort from Senegal striker Boulaye Dia onto the post in the second half, while Reims were reduced to 10 men as defender Wout Faes was sent off.
Payet steered in his second from a Valentin Rongier cutback and was denied a hat-trick by an excellent stop from Predrag Rajkovic, with Milik ruled offside as he poked in the rebound. Marseille have won five of seven matches under Jorge Sampaoli and replaced Lens in fifth, the final European qualifying spot in France.  Reims confirmed Friday that Oscar Garcia, the Spaniard who had a brief spell in charge of Saint-Etienne in 2017, would replace coach David Guion next season.
French Ligue 1 results
Saint-Etienne 1 (Khazri 11) Brest 2 (Charbonnier 66, 79); Metz 1 (Centonze 46) PSG 3 (Mbappe 4, 59, Icardi 89-pen)
Playing today (all times GMT): Nice v Montpellier (1100), Lens v Nimes, Lorient v Bordeaux, Rennes v Dijon, Strasbourg v Nantes (all 1300), Angers v Monaco (1505), Lyon v Lille (1900)
Friday: Reims 1 (Mbuku 38) Marseille 3 (Payet 41, Milik 45+2, Payet 76)