Mason Greenwood helpless as PSG crush 10-man Marseille to emphatically claim Le Classique spoils in Ligue 1

PSG did not wilt in the face of the partisan Stade Velodrome atmosphere as Joao Neves capped a confident start by slamming in from close range early on. The game was then effectively ended as contest in the space of 10 minutes, with Marseille's Amine Harit harshly shown a straight red card for a high boot and Leonardo Balerdi diverting a cross into his own net before the half-hour mark. Bradley Barcola then compounded the hosts' misery by adding a third with five minutes of the first period still to play, sweeping in at the back post. English winger Mason Greenwood was peripheral and was hooked at half-time by Roberto De Zerbi, and the second half passed by largely without incident as PSG took their foot off the gas - although Ousmane Dembele and Fabian Ruiz both spurned glaring opportunities.

PSG fans have not been able to attend Le Classique away from the French capital since 2015, with the fixture deemed high risk in terms of potential crowd trouble. The police issued a banning order on away supporters both entering the Stade Velodrome and travelling south to Marseille ahead of the game - a common occurrence in France's biggest rivalries due to concerns over hooliganism.

Les Parisiens' trio of diminutive midfielders - Vitinha, Warren Zaire-Emery and Neves - were all pretty dominant as PSG controlled the game from the first whistle, but it was the latter who shone yet again. The 20-year-old was flawless throughout and scored his first goal for his new club since his blockbuster £60 million ($78m) transfer from Benfica, adding to the six assists he has already by gleefully firing into an empty net after seven minutes when a cross was parried into his path.

Poor Harit. The Marseille attacker was the victim of an extremely harsh refereeing decision just 20 minutes in as he was shown a shock red card, and in truth it was all downhill from there. He was presumably adjudged to have used excessive force as he collided with Marquinhos with his studs raised, but replays showed the contact wasn't enough to warrant a dismissal. A hugely controversial moment, and it was staggering that the VAR didn't intervene.

PSG will likely face a more stern test next weekend when they host fifth-placed Lens at Parc des Princes on Saturday, looking to maintain their slender three-point lead at the top of Ligue 1. Marseille, meanwhile, will be desperate to bounce back after a strong start to the season under De Zerbi. They travel to mid-table Nantes on Sunday.