PSG keep foot on gas

Paris St Germain consolidated their position at the top of the Ligue 1 table with a routine 3-1 win over mid-table Rennes.

Paris St Germain consolidated their position at the top of the Ligue 1 table with a routine 3-1 win over mid-table Rennes. The defending champions had lost on their last four visits to the Stade de la Route de Lorient, but Thiago Motta gave them a half-time lead which was extended by Zlatan Ibrahimovic from the penalty spot early in the second half. Romain Alessandrini then gave the home crowd hope of a comeback with his free-kick, but Edinson Cavani's strike in the final minute wrapped up PSG's sixth victory in seven league matches. It took very little time for Laurent Blanc's men to settle and a free-kick from Ibrahimovic after eight minutes gave Rennes something to think about as it skimmed the right post on its way past. The hosts failed to heed the warning, however, and were behind 10 minutes later when a poor clearance from Ezequiel Lavezzi's corner fell kindly for Motta, who curled left footed beyond the reach of Benoit Costil. This time Rennes responded and Armel Kana-Biyik was unfortunate to see his header land narrowly wide from Alessandrini's corner on the half hour. And the pair combined again as the interval approached, with another precise set-piece from Alessandrini volleyed inches past the right post by the Cameroon defender. Instead it was PSG who doubled their advantage six minutes into the second half with a penalty from Ibrahimovic, who was brought down in the area by Cedric Hountondji. Rennes managed to get themselves on the scoresheet after 67 minutes through Alessandrini, whose free-kick found a way over the wall and goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu. But PSG continued to look a class above and a third goal late on confirmed their superiority, with Marco Verratti laying the ball off for Cavani to round a defender and slot home.