Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 Lyon: Hosts get back to winning ways to extend Ligue 1 lead

Runaway Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain claimed a 3-1 win over Lyon in their final home game of 2024 to go seven points clear at the top of the table.

Early goals from Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha put them in control, while Goncalo Ramos, netting his first goal since returning from injury, rounded things off. 

PSG opened the scoring after just eight minutes when Desire Doue made a brilliant run to cut the ball back to Dembele, who slotted home with a composed finish.

They then doubled their lead after Corentin Tolisso's clumsy challenge on the back of Doue resulted in a spot-kick, and Vitinha coolly converted after waiting for Lucas Perri to commit himself. 

However, Lyon's Georges Mikautadze pulled one back five minutes before the break, latching onto a superb pass from Rayan Cherki and calmly chipping Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had rushed off his line, with a composed finish. 

Doue was denied by the offside flag shortly after the break as Achraf Hakimi had set off too early in the build-up, but Ramos put the finishing touch on the victory two minutes from time, soon after being brought on as a substitute. 

Data Debrief: Doue has desired effect

Luis Enrique opted to change his front line after Bradley Barcola had not been directly involved in a goal in any of his last Ligue 1 starts, and his replacement certainly made an impact.

Doue, who was unfortunate to see his goal ruled out, registered his second assist in the league this season but was also instrumental in the second goal, even if he does not get an official credit for it. 

PSG will be relieved to return to winning ways in Ligue 1, and with 11 wins and four draws, they are one of only three teams still unbeaten in the top 10 European leagues, alongside Juventus and Galatasaray. 

Lyon, meanwhile, have lost their final league match of a calendar year for the first time since 2015 as they saw a six-match unbeaten streak on the road end in Paris.