Ligue 1 Roundup: PSG Beat Ten-Man Marseille as Nice and Auxerre Claim Narrow Victories

Round 5 of Ligue 1 had a bit of everything, a title favourite grinding out a win despite going down to ten men, a tight defensive battle settled by fine margins, and a second-half comeback in Burgundy.

Paris Saint-Germain beat Marseille 2-1 at the Vélodrome in a game they dominated for long stretches but had to work hard to see out. Substitute Ferran Torres broke the deadlock with a header on 66 minutes, only for Marseille to level within six minutes through Angel Gomes. Marquinhos restored PSG's lead almost immediately, but things got tense when Timothy Weah was sent off for a second booking with over ten minutes still to play. PSG held on regardless, helped by a huge statistical advantage across the board, they had 31 shots to Marseille's 12 and dominated possession throughout. Despite the defeat, Marseille goalkeeper Jeffrey De Lange was the standout performer on the pitch, making eight saves to earn a 9.4 rating and the fans' vote, one of the best individual displays of the round anywhere.

[Ligue 1 Saturday Roundup: Lyon Cruise, Toulouse Survive a Scare, and Paris FC Hold Firm]

Nice edged out Lille 2-1 at the Allianz Riviera in a game that had Lille dominating possession and shot volume without ever really threatening to walk away with it. An early own goal from Nathan Ngoy put the hosts ahead, and Mohamed Amoura doubled the lead after the break before Ayase Ueda pulled one back for the visitors late on. Lille finished with 20 shots and 59 percent of the ball, but Nice's defending and, in particular, goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf's shot-stopping made the difference. Diouf picked up an 8.5 rating and the top fan vote after making seven saves to see the game out.

Auxerre came from behind to beat Stade Brestois 2-1 at home, turning the game around with a strong start to the second half. Pathé Mboup had put Brest ahead in the first half during a period where the visitors were much the better side, but Cameron Archer levelled things up just two minutes after the restart, and an unfortunate late own goal from Raphaël Le Guen sealed the win for the hosts with seven minutes to go. Archer was named man of the match for his goal and his all-round movement up front, as Auxerre completely flipped the pattern of the game after half time.