It's Not Pretty, but PSG's Dogged Side Is Keeping Them in Ligue 1 Title Race
Paris Saint-Germain are back within striking distance of the summit of Ligue 1 after a 2-1 win over an impressive Olympique Lyonnais.
After the midweek draw against Arsenal in the Champions League, Les Parisiens could have been forgiven for dropping points away to a buoyant Lyon, but they showed the resilience that has defined their season to emerge with all three points.
PSG have rarely been excellent this season, and Sunday's performance was no different, but their dogged refusal to be beaten is becoming a theme.
They lead Les Gones by 10 points after Edinson Cavani's match-winning brace capped an excellent week for the French champions.
For Lyon, any title hopes have been dashed and even Champions League qualification could well be beyond them.
Unai Emery's side have now done something that Laurent Blanc's PSG could never do, win against Lyon away from home.
Emery restored the formation that had undone OL in the Trophee des Champions in August, the 4-2-3-1, and it paid instant dividends.
Lyon were deployed in only three lines, and PSG's midfield were able to exploit that rigidity to consistently recycle possession.
The hosts were overwhelmed virtually from the outset, and PSG's attackers were guilty only of occasionally overplaying their hand.
Hatem Ben Arfa showed brief flashes of brilliance on his return to the starting lineup but remains only a qualified success in his brief PSG career so far.
Cavani opened the scoring from the penalty spot, but to enter the break with only a one-goal lead did a disservice to the performance in the opening period.
Lucas Moura has been the star of the season so far, and he was heavily involved again as PSG dominated. He was involved as Thiago Motta was felled for the spot-kick, and his constant movement gave Lyon's defence no peace.
Lyon manager Bruno Genesio's half-time introduction of Mathieu Valbuena, and the accompanying change of shape, gave Les Gones control and forced the visitors back.
Valbuena scored his first goal for OL in over a year, taking full advantage as Rafael's brilliant curling shot rebounded off the post, to spark a dominant second-half performance.
Maxwell, the 35-year-old full-back playing his third game in eight days, showed his age in that moment as the ex-Manchester United man blew by him.
From that point, PSG were scrambling.
Desperate defending saw six players booked as Lyon ratcheted up the pressure.
It was fierce and frantic, and OL were denied only by a series of dramatic individual interventions.
The back line bent, but it did not break, and as PSG retreated, they became a threat on the counter-attack.
In the 82nd-minute, Serge Aurier surged forward and played in Thomas Meunier, whose cross found Cavani for the winning goal.
Not only was the Uruguayan perfectly placed to meet Meunier's cross, he guided his header to the only area sprawling Lyon keeper Anthony Lopes couldn't stop it.
Aurier had been excellent in his return to action after the UK authorities prevented his involvement in the Arsenal match.
It was a vicious break, of which Bayern Munich or Real Madrid would be proud, and a heartbreaking moment for Lyon, who had been pushing hard for their own winning goal.
Cavani's second strike took him to 99 league goals and past Mustapha Dahleb to become the fourth-highest scorer in PSG history.
Dahleb was the star of PSG's first decade in the top flight, helping the club to win and then retain the Coupe de France in the early 1980s.
That Cavani has passed him in half the time rejects the notion that he has underperformed in Paris.
"Emery's reaction after the Goal from Cavani during #OLPSG
— PSG News in english (@PSGinenglish) November 28, 2016"
(🎥 via @rescoffi4 ) #PSG pic.twitter.com/V4b8vymsou
He now has 18 goals in all competitions this season.
His header for the winner was perfect, as was his predatory finish to open the scoring against Arsenal in midweek.
Six times already this season he has scored match-winning goals in Ligue 1.
At the same time, he continues to squander chances to make games easier for his team.
Lyon did a fine job of limiting Cavani's chances, but had he been more effective in the first half, the second would not have been nearly so tense.
PSG's season has been reinvigorated in a week that saw them seize control of their Champions League group and knock off a potential title rival.
Whispered concerns about Emery's performance in his debut season in the French capital have been silenced by a series of fine performances and vital results.
In both matches, it was the manager's substitutions that proved decisive.
Against Arsenal, Ben Arfa's introduction changed the game, and on Sunday, it was his withdrawal and replacement with Meunier that helped PSG carry the day.
Nice and Monaco now lead PSG by only a point.
The champions have momentum and continue to improve.
There are only five league matches remaining before the winter break, including a meeting with current lanterne rouge Lorient on December 21. PSG can fairly aspire to the winter championship once again.
Nice must visit the Parc Des Princes before Christmas, too, providing a perfect opportunity for PSG to wrest back control of the title race.
Monaco remain the most impressive side in France, and their excellent performances in Europe have only added to that, but PSG have the experience that Leonardo Jardim's young side lack.
In all likelihood, Nice will continue to drop points as they did in Sunday's home draw with Bastia, but the prolific Monegasques will be tougher to overcome.
Much of PSG's squad is battle-tested and familiar with the punishing schedule that both sides will face.
In the mixed zone after PSG's win in Lyon, Blaise Matuidi spoke directly to his team's critics, telling L'Equipe (in French): "I hear too much that we are less good [this season]."
Matuidi demands the respect that four-time title winners deserve and, having been with PSG for the entirety of their recent successful period, he knows how hard-won that success has been.
With Angel Di Maria, Layvin Kurzawa, Adrien Rabiot and Javier Pastore yet to return, PSG should not be expected to be at their best.
The defiant display against Lyon reflected that title-winning experience and suggested that this group have every intention of defending their title once again.
PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi told L'Equipe (in French) that he was confident of victory before the match, having seen in his players' eyes the "desire to win."
That desire was evident in the second-half against Lyon, as it has been routinely in the early part of this campaign.
It it vital that they continue to improve, but things are looking up for the Parisians.
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