PSG player ratings v Brest: Neymar 8, Messi 7, Kimpembe 4

Brazilian star on target as PSG go top of Ligue 1

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  PSG RATINGS: Gianluigi Donnarumma - 8, Made a good save to deny Franck Honorat’s shot from range and outsmarted Islam Slimani to push his penalty away with a strong hand. Did well to tip the ball wide when it hit Slimani. AFP

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  Sergio Ramos - 5, Delivered a great cross that almost found Neymar, but looked laborious in his defending at times, mishitting a clearance in his own box then getting nutmegged by Islam Slimani and giving away a free kick. Looked more like himself during the second period. AFP

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  Danilo Pereira - 7, Was unlucky to see a powerful header blocked in the early stages and looked comfortable in his defensive work throughout the first half. Was booked for a challenge on Mathias Pereira Lage and made a great dart forward in the latter stages but Lionel Messi didn’t find him. AFP

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  Presnel Kimpembe - 4, Often looked comfortable but having lost the ball clumsily and bringing down Pierre Lees-Melou in the first half, he was beaten too easily by Noah Fadiga and brought the Belgian down to concede a penalty and receive a yellow card. His poor header almost gave Slimani a fortuitous goal. Injured himself making a challenge in the final moments. AP

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  Achraf Hakimi - 6, Was quiet in an attacking sense but did the basics well and rarely looked troubled defensively. Managed to get behind Brest’s defence on one occasion but couldn’t quite squeeze the ball past Marco Bizot, winning a corner. AFP

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  Vitinha - 6, Moved the ball well for large periods and even slipped through some lovely passes to release his teammates. A little bit of sloppiness crept into his game at times. Came close with an ambitious effort in the latter stages. AFP

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  Marco Verratti - 7, Was caught on the ball early on, but soon got into his stride and kept possession well. Spotted some potential danger in his box and expertly cleaned it up on a couple of occasions. AFP

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  Juan Bernat - 7, Did well to contain an early counter and made some brilliant runs going the other way. Showed great composure to create a chance for Messi. AP

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  Lionel Messi - 7, Pulled the strings for most of the first half and showed a superb range of passing, including the inch-perfect ball that set up Neymar for the opener. Saw an attempt of his own deflected wide off Kylian Mbappe, hit the post with his header and hit a powerful strike straight at the goalkeeper. AFP

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  Kylian Mbappe - 6, Blazed his effort over the crossbar after being found by Bernat then hit a powerful effort straight at Bizot. He did apply a clinical finish in the first half but had strayed offside. Provided Messi with a nice dinked cross but wasted an opportunity after some superb link-up play created an opening. AFP

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  Neymar - 8, Ran off Christophe Herelle’s shoulder, controlled Messi’s pass well and finished clinically to score the opener. Was booked for a clumsy challenge on Pierre Lees-Melou after losing the ball but continued to make some good passes to create chances for his teammates. EPA

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  Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain v Brest - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - September 10, 2022 Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi and Fabian Ruiz celebrate after the match REUTERS / Christian Hartmann

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  Pablo Sarabia (Mbappe, 78’) – N/R, Was invisible for most of his time on the pitch and didn’t do much to persuade Christophe Galtier to give him more minutes. AFP

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  Nuno Mendes (Bernat, 78’) – N/R, Was booked for a sliding tackle on Honorat near the corner within minutes of coming on. Got down the left flank but Jean-Kevin Duverne did a good job of limiting him. AP

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  Hugo Ekitike (Neymar, 78’) – N/R, Got a couple of good touches in and went down in the box but wasn’t given the penalty. AP

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  Marquinhos (Vitinha, 87’) – N/R, Came close to scoring a header within seconds of his introduction. AP

Paris Saint Germain forward Neymar scored his eighth Ligue 1 goal of the campaign as the champions overcame Brest 1-0 at Parc des Princes on Saturday to extend their unbeaten start and reclaim top spot in the standings.

The result, secured after Gianluigi Donnarumma saved a late Islam Slimani penalty, means Christophe Galtier's side have 19 points from seven matches, two more than second-placed RC Lens who led the table after a 1-0 win over Troyes on Friday.

Brest came into the contest having conceded a club record 16 goals in their first six games and were carved open in the 30th minute despite a bright start as Neymar fired in from a tight angle after being played through by Lionel Messi.

PSG player ratings from the match can be seen in the gallery above. To view the next image just swipe.