ZLATAN DOUBLE AS PSG QUASH LYON REBELLION

Despite an aggressive start from OL, Paris Saint-Germain wrested back control as Edinson Cavani (36′), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (41′, pen., 83′, pen.) and Thiago Silva (60′) scored to clinch a 4-0 home win on Sunday night.

 Paris Saint-Germain 4 – 0 Olympique Lyonnais 
Can anyone stop Paris Saint-Germain this season? The question has to be asked after Lyon’s spirited first half-hour gave way to complete domination from the league leaders, for whom all three of their FIFA Ballon d’Or nominees got on the scoresheet in their third 4-0 win in four home games.
With a five-man backline, two holding midfielders and playmakers Yoann Gourcuff and Clément Grenier supporting striker Aléxandre Lacazette, Rémi Garde’s men looked to pile the pressure on early, and had Lacazette finished his fine solo effort with a goal – rather than crashing his shot off Salvatore Sirigu’s bar (27′) – things could have been much different.
Blanc pulls the strings
However, in response to Lyon’s highly effective pressing game in midfield, PSG boss Laurent Blanc inverted his midfield triangle just after the half-hour mark, pulling Marco Verratti back alongside Thiago Motta and leaving Javier Pastore – making just his second start since late September – to get forward and feed the front three.
The change paid almost immediate dividends as PSG found more space and moved higher up the pitch. Ibrahimovic was the first to threaten, with Milan Bisevac blocking his initial effort before Rémy Vercoutre turned his follow-up wide (35′), but the PSG fans didn’t have long to wait for the opener as Cavani bagged his tenth of the season with a superb glancing header from the resulting corner, sent into the near post by the in-form Lucas (36′).
Cavani in the thick of it
The Uruguayan’s effort, which squeezed past Grenier and nutmegged Gourcuff on the line, was a portent of things to come as the champions kept their foot on the gas. Just five minutes later, a vintage slide-rule pass from Pastore bisected the OL defence and put Cavani clean through.
The on-rushing Vercoutre brought Cavani down as the fleet-footed striker looked to take a touch around him, and Ibrahimovic gleefully stepped up to the spot to convert the resulting penalty with a chipped finish more or less down the middle to go level on ten goals with Cavani (41′).
It was an impressive turnaround after a somewhat nervy beginning, and the hosts never looked back as their quality shone through in the second term. PSG may have conceded more possession to OL in the early stages after the break as they adjusted to Blaise Matuidi’s coming on for the injured Thiago Motta, but on the hour-mark they went further in front – from yet another set piece.
Thiago Silva opens his account
Brazilian captain Thiago Silva used his aerial prowess to get his head to Lucas’s corner, but when his blocked effort fell invitingly, he showed that he is no slouch with his feet either, blasting home from close range to put the result beyond doubt with his first Ligue 1 goal (60′).
Lyon, who had come into the match buoyed by their mid-week qualification for the Europa League’s last 16, seemed at a loss as to how to deal with their hosts’ domination and in an effort to reproduce the pressure from earlier in the match, Garde replaced playmakers Grenier and Gourcuff with the more industrious Gaël Danic and Jordan Ferri (71′).
Ibra clinches it
However, just ten minutes later Ibrahimovic raced into the area on the end of a slick through-pass from Lucas and after he was brought down by a clumsy tackle from Samuel Umtiti, the Swede bagged his second from the spot to go clear atop the scorers chart with 11 goals and seal the 4-0 win.
PSG thus retained their four-point lead ahead of second-placed Lille – while also stretching their unbeaten run to 36 matches in all competitions – ahead of their Week 16 trip to Evian on Wednesday night. Lyon meanwhile slipped from seventh to tenth ahead of the visit of Toulouse on Thursday night.

ZLATAN DOUBLE AS PSG QUASH LYON REBELLION