A dominant first-half performance helped Paris FC beat AS Monaco 3-1, moving them into fourth place in Ligue 1 as they claimed a third successive head-to-head victory.
Both sides had lost momentum in recent weeks with inconsistent form, but this match offered a chance to catapult themselves back into the thick of a broad title race.
Paris were dominant and had the best chances early on, striking the woodwork in the 13th minute when Pierre Lees-Melou’s shot from distance cannoned off the right post, and Ilan Kebbal blazed the rebound over the bar despite being unmarked in the box.
The hosts continued to probe and had Monaco on the back foot, as Moses Simon caused mayhem down the left flank, but his effort was deflected over the bar.
Simon continued to dazzle down the left wing, dribbling through the Monaco defence before his cutback found Lassine Sinayoko in the box, but Hradecky palmed it away.
Paris’ dominance finally paid dividends in the 38th minute after winning the ball in the Monaco box, where Maxime Lopez picked out Sinayoko to turn it into the bottom-left corner.Â
Les Monegasques were second best for most of the first half and almost found themselves level just before half-time, yet Aleksandr Golovin’s effort sailed narrowly wide.
The visitors paid the price as Sinayoko netted his second of the evening after latching onto a ball over the top and firing past Hradecky to give the hosts a two-goal advantage going into the break.
Clearly concerned with his side’s first-half performance, Filipe Luis made a double change ahead of the restart, including a surprise withdrawal of top goalscorer Paris Brunner for Folarin Balogun. The home side stayed in control and came close to a third through Lees-Melou’s effort from distance, but Hradecky did well to get down low and save.
A lapse in concentration allowed the visitors back into the contest with 25 minutes remaining after Balogun repaid his manager’s faith when he bundled home from Vanderson’s ball into the box.Â
However, any hopes of a comeback were dashed 10 minutes later thanks to phenomenal hold-up play from Sinayoko, who showed great skill in the box before picking out Pablo Pagis to sweep home his second goal of the campaign. That goal sealed a third win in five league games, and helped Paris leapfrog their opponents.
Monaco are now winless in four Ligue 1 matches, which has seen the Principality side lose ground in the title race after starting the season with a six-game unbeaten streak.Â
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lassine Sinayoko (Paris FC)
Check out the match stats here.