PSG Player Ratings vs Marseille: 8.5/10 for MOTM Neymar; Messi, Verratti get 7 or more

Neymar, Lionel Messi and Marco Verratti excelled as Paris Saint-Germain edged Marseille 2-1 at Parc des Princes on Sunday.

Paris Saint-Germain move one step closer towards securing the Ligue 1 title thanks to a narrow 2-1 victory over arch-rivals Marseille on Sunday. The win helps them extend their advantage to 15 points at the top of the table, with just six games remaining until the end of the season.

Despite the scoreline, PSG were by far the better side. They looked quite dangerous in the attacking department, with the front trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe working in tandem to cause problems for the opposition defence. Marseille do deserve some credit for expertly utilising their offside trap to nullify Neymar and Mbappe.

But they weren’t able to stop the creative support, ultimately leading to an early opener from Neymar. Duje Caleta-Car did equalise for Marseille around the half-hour mark, but a late penalty allowed PSG the opportunity to restore their lead at the dying embers of the first-half. Mbappe made no mistake in converting the spot-kick either, leaving Pau Lopez stranded.

The Frenchman netted once again in the second half, but his goal was disallowed due to offside. There were a few more disallowed goals, including Messi’s strike and a late equaliser from William Saliba.

Here, at the Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over the PSG side in their narrow victory over Marseille this past weekend.

Gianluigi Donnarumma: 5/10

Gianluigi Donnarumma had a disastrous game in between the sticks for PSG. He was culpable for conceding the equaliser from Caleta-Car as he was unable to pick the catch the ball after committing himself on a corner kick. The ricocheted off his hands to fall into the path of the Marseille defender. He couldn’t do much to save Saliba’s effort as well, though the Italian was fortunate enough to have the goal disallowed.

Achraf Hakimi: 6/10

Achraf Hakimi wasn’t at his usual best in the right-back position. He wasn’t able to offer too much-attacking support going forward as Mauricio Pochettino continues to play him out of position. Hakim will be hoping for better fortunes under a new coach next season.

Marquinhos: 7.5/10

Marquinhos replaced Sergio Ramos at the heart of the PSG backline. He didn’t disappoint either, producing a hard-working display. While the PSG backline did look vulnerable at times, the captain excelled in his duels and offered very little freedom to the opposing attackers.

Presnel Kimpembe: 6.5/10

Presnel Kimpembe didn’t have a bad game either despite the PSG defence struggling to deal with the Marseille attack on a few occasions. Kimpembe offered good support to Marquinhos in central defence. His pace and aggression helped the club remain on top defensively for a large part of the proceedings.

Nuno Mendes: 7/10

Nuno Mendes fared well at times with his attacking forays down the flanks. He notably created the goal for Messi in the second half, but it was ruled out due to offside.

Danilo Pereira: 6.5/10

It wasn’t the best of performances from Danilo Pereira. The defensive midfielder did his job defensively, but his lack of pace and quality on the ball bottlenecked the other gifted players in PSG midfield or attack. Nevertheless, Danilo kept working hard for his team until the very end.

Marco Verratti: 8/10

Marco Verratti was the main spark in the PSG midfield. His ability to carry the ball across half-spaces, coupled with his vision and passing range made him a creator-in-chief for the hosts alongside Messi. Verratti notably delivered a sweet through ball early on in the game, which led to Neymar’s opener.

Idrissa Gueye: 6.5/10

Idrissa Gueye was nowhere near as impressive as Verratti. But the former Evertonian was quite useful in the second line of press. His ability to win back possession played a key role in helping PSG retain their dominance in the proceedings.

Lionel Messi: 7/10

Lionel Messi was the main creative asset for PSG in this game. The Argentine looked dangerous with his movements in and around the final third, with the attacker linking up extremely well with the likes of Verratti, Mbappe and Neymar. While a goal continues to elude the former Barcelona man, his creative essence could have easily helped PSG secure a bigger win.

Kylian Mbappe: 6.5/10

Kylian Mbappe had a slightly underwhelming evening against Marseille. He was caught offside time and time again and was unable to deliver the end product in front of goal. That said, the Frenchman coolly converted a late first-half penalty to double his team’s advantage going into half-time.

Neymar: 8.5/10

Neymar was arguably the best performer in this game for PSG. The Brazilian looked dangerous right from the beginning, linking up well with Messi, Mbappe and Verratti. Aside from scoring the early goal, Neymar created quite a few chances and was a menace for the Marseille backline throughout the ninety minutes.

Substitutes

Georginio Wijnaldum: N/A

A late replacement for Gueye. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.

Sergio Ramos: N/A

A late replacement for Verratti. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.

Mauro Icardi: N/A

A late replacement for Mbappe. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.