Paris Saint-Germain were given a genuine fright by Le Mans on Saturday evening before a substitute swung the contest their way, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scoring barely two minutes after entering the pitch to help secure a 3-1 Ligue 1 victory at the Parc des Princes.
A heavily rotated Paris Saint-Germain side were made to work for their points by an enterprising Le Mans team that pressed aggressively from the opening whistle and looked entirely at ease in the capital.
The visitors produced the first attempt of the contest, Jean Vercruysse sending his effort off target from distance in the seventh minute.
PSG’s breakthrough arrived in the 21st minute. Achraf Hakimi was brought down inside the box and Lucas Beraldo took responsibility from the spot, slotting the penalty home to put the hosts in front.
Le Mans were back on terms early in the second half. Louis Mafouta struck for his fourth goal of the season to quiet the Parc des Princes, and while the assistant referee initially flagged for offside, replays showed the forward had timed his run correctly and the goal was allowed to stand.
Luis Enrique responded by sending on Kvaratskhelia, and the Georgia winger needed only two minutes to restore the lead, tapping in from close range after a set piece.
Seven minutes later the advantage had doubled. Maghnes Akliouche drove forward from the halfway line and finished with real quality at the near post to make it 3-1.
Le Mans refused to fold and came agonisingly close to cutting the deficit again in the 71st minute, when Dame Gueye struck the post.
The Parisians saw the game out from there and climbed to fifth in the table on the back of the result.
Next up is a far sterner test. The defending European champions travel to Manchester City on Wednesday for a Champions League meeting.
A scrappy, hard fought evening ended with the result PSG wanted, and with a substitute’s instant impact serving as the difference between a comfortable night and an awkward one.
