PSG dominate Ligue 1 Round 26, with Marquinhos among the goals
PSG narrowly defeated Bordeaux 4-3 in the most entertaining match of the weekend, with Marquinhos suddenly developing a talent as a penalty box finisher.
He scored two on the night which trebled his tally for the entire season, with first coming in unconventional fashion as he cushioned a shouldered touch over the line following a free-kick sent in from the left. Unconventional, but effective, and impressive.
Twice the goals scored by the Brazilian gave PSG the lead after Bordeaux had pegged them back, with his second coming just after the hour mark as he lingered inside the area after another set-piece to scramble a finish over the line after the cut back from Kylian Mbappe.
His passing out from the back was, as always, excellent, as he completed 51/56 balls to team-mates, while he also made 10 ball recoveries to halt numerous Bordeaux attacks.
Mbappe also got on the scoresheet for PSG in the home win, even if it came in relatively simple fashion as he passed the ball into the empty net after some unselfish work from Edinson Cavani.
It was in other areas the Frenchman truly impressed, as his appetite for darting runs in behind not only benefited himself but created space for others.
To provide ammunition for his team-mates, he sent four crosses into the box and 18 passes into the final third.
He enjoyed 14 touches inside the Bordeaux box which was the most of any player this week. One of these touches eventually led to the aforementioned goal for Marquinhos.
Now, this is a controversial entry into our Top 5, as Neymar was actually sent off for PSG late on against Bordeaux after a second bookable offence after inexplicably hacking through the back of Yacine Adli.
However, the dismissal came with just a few minutes remaining, and before that he was superb, even if he didn't record a goal or an assist.
He had 99 touches of the ball which was more than any other attacking player in thsis round of games, and sent 33 passes into the final third which was also more than anyone else.
Just before Mauro Icardi's goal, Neymar nearly scored the goal of the weekend with an outrageous jink between two defenders, only to see his subsequent shot blocked from close to the line by another defender.
In the race for the top four, Lille put vital ground between themselves and fifth-placed Monaco after comfortably defeating Toulouse 3-0, with Loic Remy bagging two goals.
The two strikes couldn't really have been more different, but both displayed two impressive aspects of his game. To open the scoring, he took a bouncing touch on the edge of the area to set himself up before rifling a left-footed half-volley into the top left corner.
The second, meanwhile, saw him positioned perfectly at the back post to convert a finish after a low cross.
He misplaced just one pass the whole afternoon, too, completing 20/21 balls to team-mates.
While PSG's other stars will grab the headlines this week, the performance of Angel Di Maria should not be overlooked as he continued his fantastic recent form with two assists versus Bordeaux.
After the champions went a goal behind, he was vital in their resurgence as he set up the equaliser then the goal to put them 2-1 up, both via wicked crosses into the box.
The first saw him cut inside from the right on to his left foot before whipping a sensational delivery in for Cavani to bullet a header home. Then, just before half-time, he found Marquinhos for the Brazilian's shouldered finish.
Those were two of 12 crosses which he successfully sent into the danger area, with only Teji Savanier of Montpellier achieving more this week.
HONOURABLE MENTION
Rennes bounced back from the loss against Reims with a 2-1 win at home to Nimes, with Mbaye Niang (8.4) scoring both goals including the winner in the 89th minute.
ROUND TO FORGET
Bordeaux may have put up a decent fight against PSG, but Loris Benito (4.8) was still poor at the back, as he lost the majority of his duels and didn't even attempt a single tackle during his time on the pitch.