PSG player ratings vs Metz: Kylian Mbappe is up to his usual tricks! Two-goal superstar ensures unconvincing Parisians maintain five-point cushion at Ligue 1 halfway point

Not for the first time, Kylian Mbappe's brilliance redeemed an otherwise-average Paris Saint-Germain performance on Wednesday night. On this occasion the forward netted a second-half brace to carry his side to a comfortable 3-1 victory over Metz.

Mbappe was the Parisians' biggest threat early on, making diagonal runs behind the defence, and finding clever angles for his team to exploit. But they had very few clear sights of goal, while Metz offered some lively moments of their own.

Vitinha found the breakthrough shortly after the break. Lee Kang-In provided the pass, curling the ball into the Portuguese's path, and he finished from close range. Mbappe added a trademark second, unleashing a fine curled effort from outside the box that flew into the roof of the net.

The visitors found their way back into the game, though. It came from a corner, with Matthieu Udol meeting the cross at the near post and flicking the ball beyond a sprawling Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Mbappe, inevitably, sealed things. Joseph N'duquidi played a poor pass back to his keeper, and the French superstar seized onto the loose ball and rounded the keeper for an easy finish. This wasn't pretty — PSG rarely have been this season. Still, the Parisians find themselves five points clear at the top of Ligue 1 ahead of the Christmas break.

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