Paris Saint-Germain have won a fourth consecutive Coupe de la Ligue title courtesy of a 4-1 victory over AS Monaco at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais this evening.
The capital outfit have been forced to play second fiddle to Monaco for much of the league season and in Europe, but they maintained their dominance of French silverware courtesy of goals from Julian Draxler, Angel di Maria and Edinson Cavani (2).
PSG have won every domestic trophy available since the beginning of the 2014-15 campaign and continued that record with tonight's victory as they lifted the Coupe de la Ligue crown for a record seventh time.
PSG put Unai Emery on course for his first trophy with the club as early as the fourth minute when Marco Verratti slid an incisive ball through for Di Maria, who unselfishly laid it off for Draxler to apply the finish when the pair had only the keeper to beat.
That set the tone for an action-packed and end-to-end match, and Monaco almost levelled things up midway through the first half when Valere Germain rose highest inside the area to steer a header narrowly wide.
The equaliser did arrive moments later, though, and it came in some style as Thomas Lemar collected a pass from Djibril Sidibe on the edge of the area before picking out the top corner with a fine finish.
Cavani thought he had responded with 10 minutes to go until half time when he produced an improvisational back-heel to turn Thiago Silva's header towards goal, only for Danijel Subasic to make a stunning save from point-blank range.
It was Kevin Trapp's turn to keep the scores level at the other end shortly afterwards when he denied Germain, and that save proved to be even more important as PSG went straight up the other end to regain the lead right on the stroke of half time.
It was roles reversed from their opening goal as Draxler fed the ball across to Di Maria, who scuffed his finish a little but still managed to steer it low past the keeper.
There was nothing wrong with Cavani's finish to make it 3-1 10 minutes after the interval, though, as the Uruguayan fired a first-time volley past Subasic from Verratti's cross to make the 2016-17 campaign the highest-scoring of his career.
Cavani should have had a second shortly after the hour mark when he was picked out at the back post, but with the goal gaping he somehow managed to put the ball wide despite it looking easier to score.
Monaco desperately went in search of a route back into the game and almost found it when Irvin Cardona latched on to a cross inside the box, but he could only steer his header a whisker past the post.
Despite their two-goal cushion PSG were in no mood to sit back and see the game out, instead continuing to attack at every opportunity and Di Maria was denied when one on one with Subasic before Emery's side added the icing on the cake in the final minute of normal time.
Fittingly it was Cavani who got the goal, thumping another fine first-time strike off the underside of the crossbar to make it 40 goals in 40 games across all competitions for the season.
PSG comfortably saw out the remainder of the match as they sent a message to Monaco's young guns that they will not be deposed as the dominant force in French football without a fight.
Barney Corkhill
