In a thrilling finish, a depleted Paris Saint-Germain secured a dramatic last-minute victory for the second consecutive weekend, reclaiming the top position in the Ligue 1 standings.
Following their last-minute win against Nice, PSG replicated the feat against Lyon, with João Neves netting the decisive goal five minutes into stoppage time to clinch a 3-2 victory.
Lyon fought back from behind twice, and a stunning equalizer from Ainsley Maitland-Niles early in the second half looked set to secure a point for them, until a dramatic climax ensued, which included a red card for Lyon’s Nicolás Tagliafico.
A midweek defeat in the Champions League against Bayern Munich proved costly, not only for the lost points but also for several key injuries affecting Luis Enrique’s squad.
Missing from the lineup were Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi, and Nuno Mendes, who joined Désiré Doué on the sidelines.
PSG started positively, taking the lead in the 26th minute when Vitinha set up Warren Zaïre-Emery, who struck a powerful shot past Dominik Greif.
This initiated a flurry of three goals within just seven minutes, with Lyon responding to equalize just four minutes later.
Afonso Moreira managed to stay onside and was set up by Moussa Niakhaté, finishing past Lucas Chevalier.
However, just as Lyon equalized, PSG regained the lead, once again through the creativity of Vitinha.
This time, he found Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at the edge of the box, and the Georgian star calmly curled the ball into the bottom corner, despite Lyon’s claims of a foul on Tanner Tessmann.
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Tagliafico came close to leveling again for Lyon, hitting the post before the halftime break, but it only took five minutes into the second half for them to equalize once more.
Maitland-Niles, a former Arsenal midfielder, spotted Chevalier off his line and executed a perfectly timed chip from outside the box.
As the match progressed, clear chances diminished, but tension mounted when Tagliafico was sent off in added time after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Vitinha.
In the dying moments, PSG seized the opportunity as Lee Kang-in’s corner found Neves, whose header ignited wild celebrations among the visiting fans and players alike.
This victory allows PSG to extend their lead to two points over Marseille, while Lyon finds themselves seven points behind in seventh place.