Paris Saint-Germain have moved nine points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 table with a 3-1 win over 10-man Lens at the Parc des Princes.
Kylian Mbappe, Vitinha and Lionel Messi were all on target for Christophe Galtier's side after Salis Abdul Samed's early sending-off, but the second-placed visitors did not go down without a fight and pulled one back through Przemyslaw Frankowski's penalty.
Franck Haise's side kicked off 2023 with a 3-1 success over the faltering champions on New Year's Day, and a victory in the capital would have the cut the gap to PSG to just three points with seven games to go.
However, their Parisian task became all the more difficult with 19 minutes gone, as Abdul Samed was given a straight red card for catching Achraf Hakimi on the ankle with his studs, and PSG took full advantage with a nine-minute onslaught.
A sublime link-up between Messi, Vitinha and Mbappe ended with the latter firing home in off the post in the 31st minute - becoming PSG's all-time leading goalscorer in Ligue 1 with 139 strikes - and Vitinha went from provider to goalscorer six minutes later with a 25-yard thunderbolt after Lens failed to close him down.
The cherry on top was added in the 40th minute, and PSG's deadly duo were up to their old tricks again, as Mbappe fed Messi with a cheeky backheel for the Argentine to find the far corner from a tight angle.
Lens refused to wave the white flag, though, and Frankowski reduced the deficit from the spot on the hour mark, sending Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way after Fabian Ruiz was penalised for handball.
Nevertheless, PSG held on to increase their advantage at the summit and take a giant step towards retaining their domestic crown, and Galtier's side make the trip to basement-dwelling Angers next Friday, while Lens aim to get back on track in their fight for a podium finish at home to fourth-placed Monaco in gameweek 32.
Ben Knapton
