Balogun is ready for the big time! Winners, losers & ratings as PSG’s Ligue 1 title defence is dealt another blow by Arsenal loanee

Marco Verratti:

What a strange performance. Verratti entered the game at half time, in his long-awaited return from injury. And he changed the game immediately, offering some much-needed thrust and creativity to the PSG midfield. He was crucial in the build-up to his team’s opener, too, winning the ball back in the Reims third before starting the attack that gave PSG a 1-0 lead. However, he ruined it all five minutes later, driving his studs into Junya Ito’s ankle in a reckless challenge, earning himself a straight red card just 13 minutes after entering the fray.

Kylian Mbappe:

Such are the expectations of being Kylian Mbappe that any contest in which the Frenchman is even slightly off the pace feels like a let-down. But Mbappe was genuinely poor here, especially in the first half. He failed to complete any of his first three take-ons, and twice gave the ball away while PSG were on the break. At times, the France international seemed to try too hard to make something happen. He overcooked his runs, under-hit his passes, and took on a couple of rash shots. Mbappe was admittedly better in the final minutes when Reims pushed for an equaliser, but it wasn’t his best night.

Lionel Messi:

Messi was necessarily bad on Sunday night. There were some signature Messi feints and dummies, and he was also involved in the build-up to PSG’s goal. But he was also rather rusty. He was dispossessed three times, notably having the ball snatched away by the excellent Yunis Abdelhamid. The Argentine also had a clear chance to kill the game for the home side, but lashed his shot wide from six yards out. There is no doubting Messi’s quality, and he will certainly drag PSG to some wins as the season goes on. But he looked short on match-fitness on Sunday, and his team suffered.