Mbappe’s 100th league goal hands PSG Lyon win, top spot

Kylian Mbappe scored his 100th goal in France’s top flight as Paris Saint-Germain swept aside title rivals Lyon 4-2 on Sunday to move to the top of Ligue 1 following a shock defeat for previous leaders Lille earlier.

Mbappe netted twice at the Groupama Stadium with Danilo Pereira and Angel Di Maria also on target as PSG raced into a four-goal lead before Islam Slimani and Maxwel Cornet pulled goals back for the home side.

The result allowed Mauricio Pochettino’s side to move into first place on goal difference from Lille, who were beaten 2-1 at home by struggling Nimes in a huge blow to their own title hopes.

PSG also saw Neymar return to action after a month and a half, and nine games, out injured. The world’s most expensive player came on as a substitute, replacing Mbappe midway through the second half.

Mbappe was close to his electrifying best and the World Cup winner opened the scoring 15 minutes in, following up to find the net after Marco Verratti’s shot had been parried by Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes.

Marquinhos then nodded down a Presnel Kimpembe cross for Pereira to slam in and make it 2-0 just after the half-hour mark.

First Di Maria whipped in a free-kick from wide on the right that evaded everyone on its way into the net, and then Verratti released Mbappe to break clear and finish for his second of the game on 52 minutes.

Ligue 1’s leading scorer now has 20 goals for the season and has reached a century of goals in France’s top flight in 142 appearances at the age of just 22.

Lyon reduced the margin with Algerian striker Slimani firing in from outside the box just past the hour mark before Cornet made it 4-2 inside the final 10 minutes.

Pochettino’s side next face Lille on April 3 in another top-of-the-table encounter.

Lille meanwhile suffered a major blow against Nimes. Goals from Senegalese striker Moussa Kone and captain Renaud Ripart, either side of Xeka’s equaliser for Lille, gave Nimes a victory in far northern France which lifted them out of the automatic relegation places.

French League results on Sunday:

Strasbourg 1 (Bellegarde 20) Lens 2 (Haidara 6, Fofana 40); Montpellier 3 (Sambia 35, Laborde 58, Mavididi 69) Bordeaux 1 (Hwang 28); Brest 0 Angers 0; Dijon 0 Reims 1 (Dia 50); Nantes 1 (Kolo Muani 2) Lorient 1 (Lauriente 87); Lille 1 (Xeka 20) Nimes 2 (Kone 12, Ripart 45); Lyon 2 (Slimani 62, Cornet 81) Paris Saint-Germain 4 (Mbappe 15, 52, Danilo Pereira 32, Di Maria 47)