Paris Saint-Germain maintained their pursuit of another Ligue 1 title with a triumph away from home against Lens on Sunday evening.

However, their 2-0 victory was not without drama as the hosts missed a penalty within six minutes before being reduced to 10 players, with Jonathan Gradit receiving a red card for a bad foul.

PSG entered the fixture in excellent form, continuing their strong performances over the winter period, which have granted them a substantial lead at the top of the French top flight.

Despite showing promise early in the season, Nice and Monaco have faltered somewhat, currently trailing by eight and 10 points behind the Parisian side, respectively.

Luis Enrique is secure in his position, despite a slow start, and his team is beginning to play the style of football he promised upon arrival, even though there is still uncertainty about Kylian Mbappe’s future.

Mbappe played a crucial role in the victory over Lens. Danilo Pereira was at fault early on as PSG struggled to start the match positively. The Portuguese midfielder fouled one of Lens’ players inside the box with a clumsy challenge, resulting in a penalty.

Przemyslaw Frankowski stepped up to take the kick, aiming to give the hosts an early lead, but his penalty went straight down the middle of the goal, and Gianluigi Donnarumma made a comfortable save.

PSG then took control of the match, dominating possession, and they were rewarded in the 30th minute when Bradley Barcola, one of the bright spots under Luis Enrique’s management, opened the scoring.

Barcola created space for himself inside the box and curled a superb finish into the bottom corner of the net.

Lens’ fortunes worsened just before half-time as the hosts were shocked to see Jonathan Gradit shown a straight red card for a poor challenge.

Mbappe truly shone in the second half, completing the scoring in the 89th minute by tapping the ball into the net after some clever play on the flank by Ousmane Dembele, who provided a welcome assist with a clever cut-back.