Paris Saint-Germain obliterated Guingamp 9-0 at Parc des Princes on Saturday to move a provisional 13 points clear at the Ligue 1 summit.
Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani both scored hat tricks, while Neymar added two and Thomas Meunier another one in the most one-sided of results.
Positives
The three points, Mbappe and Cavani getting trebles and Neymar combining well with both of them was all very good, but Marco Verratti's first-half injury overshadowed all of that because of the lack of depth in midfield. PSG's hunger in front of goal was good to see but it was not like Guingamp put up much of a fight in the second half as the hosts ran riot.
Negatives
If the search for a No. 6 was not already desperate enough, Verratti coming off before the 20-minute mark will have emphasised to sporting director Antero Henrique that failure to land at least one new midfielder is not an option. Otherwise, there were no major minuses but Guingamp did not exactly challenge PSG after their Coupe de la Ligue win in the capital just over one week ago.
Manager Rating out of 10
7 -- Thomas Tuchel went with what can be considered almost a full-strength starting XI and was unsurprisingly rewarded with a heavy win. That said, he knew the risks of fielding all of his stars pre-game and saw Verratti hobble off early.
Player ratings (1-10; 10=best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Gianluigi Buffon, 5 -- Barely had to do anything between the sticks and was a spectator for almost the entire match.
DF Thilo Kehrer, 6 -- Part of a solid defensive unit and got forward regularly but few games will be as relaxed.
DF Marquinhos, 6 -- Did the necessary when required but did not need to be anywhere near his best to aid the clean sheet.
DF Thiago Silva (c), 6 -- Like Marquinhos, he was solid enough, but the truth is that PSG's backline was rarely tested -- particularly in the second half.
DF Juan Bernat, 6 -- Grabbed himself a second-half assist to help Cavani towards his hat trick and was mostly operating in attack by the time he made way for Layvin Kurzawa after 67 minutes.
MF Angel Di Maria, 6 -- Notched an assist for Cavani but was by far the least involved of PSG's attack-minded players on the day.
MF Dani Alves, 6 -- Deployed in a midfield role, he provided Neymar with a delightful assist to open the scoring and coped well once Verratti had left the pitch.
MF Marco Verratti, 5 -- Hurt early on, he is now a doubt for February's Champions League clash with Manchester United and his injury is further evidence that midfield reinforcement is absolutely necessary.
FW Kylian Mbappe, 8 -- His hat trick and assist mean that this is now his most prolific Ligue 1 season to date and the relationship between him, Neymar and Cavani continues to strengthen ahead of a key moment in the season.
FW Edinson Cavani, 8 -- A hat trick and a pair of assists in the biggest of boosts for a player who, until recently, looked a shadow of his former self.
FW Neymar, 8 -- Two goals, one of which was the delightful opener, and an assist on a good evening's work in the capital. His lightning start to life with PSG shows no signs of slowing down as he racks up goals in record time.
Substitutes:
MF Julian Draxler, 7 -- Sent on to replace the injured Verratti and he did just that, albeit against very limited opposition.
DF Layvin Kurzawa, 5 -- Given 23 minutes towards the end, he was able to stretch his legs and get a taste for going forward again. Also picked up a booking.
DF Thomas Meunier, N/R -- Introduced for the final quarter of an hour and got himself a goal as Guingamp completely gave up the ghost.