Vitinha lob, Ousmane Dembélé raid, Khvitcha Kvaratskhelia missile and Bradley Barcola star in PSG 5-2 Chelsea | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain dismantled Chelsea 5-2 at the Parc des Princes, scoring five from an expected goals of 0.87. L'Équipe highlights four contrasting moments of brilliance from Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembélé, Vitinha and Khvitcha Kvaratskhelia after a lean start to the calendar year in front of goal.

Barcola struck with his first chance on 10 minutes, a sharp control and left-foot finish that set the tone. Dembélé restored the lead on 40 minutes, opting to shoot with Achraf Hakimi free to his left, and he looked straight into the cameras in celebration.

A relentless press was Barcola’s calling card, it forced Jörgensen into the mistake that led to Vitinha’s strike on 74 minutes. Always a Champions League starter this season, this was his 100th PSG start, and 33 of his 37 club goals have come when he begins. He has scored in four of his last five matches across competitions, as many as in his previous 27, though a poor recovery run on Malo Gusto’s goal blemished the night.

Dembélé, still building fitness, packed his influence into a little over an hour. His pressing jump remains the trigger for this side, and the conviction behind his finish matched his status within the dressing room.

At 2-2 on 74 minutes, Kvaratskhelia rolled a pass inside for Vitinha after another high regain from Barcola. The Portuguese took a touch, the ball popped up and he lifted a delicate lob over Jörgensen and retreating defenders, a flash of class on a muted night otherwise.

Introduced on 62 minutes for Désiré Doué, who had assisted the second goal, Kvaratskhelia changed the tie. He bent in a superb finish on 86 minutes, then added a 90+4 strike that could already be decisive. European nights clearly suit him, with 15 goal involvements in 19 Champions League matches compared with 14 in 35 Ligue 1, and since his PSG bow in last year's play-offs against Brest only Kylian Mbappé, 18 with Real Madrid, has more in Europe, a burst that will probably open the door to a start in London next week.

Source: L'Équipe