Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain remain a provisional 17 points clear of second-place Monaco after winning 2-1 away at Nice on Sunday.
Angel Di Maria and Dani Alves helped Unai Emery's men to overcome Alain Saint-Maximin's opener for the hosts at Allianz Riviera in a match that kicked off unusually early in an effort to cater for the Asian market.
Positives
Nice away is always a difficult fixture in Ligue 1 and although it was tight, PSG managed to navigate it and come away with all three points -- albeit rather fortuitously.
Equally as important as the three points gained in Nice was the character shown in recovering from going behind early to emerge victorious.
However, that said, Nice could easily have drawn or better had Alphonse Areola not been as alert as he was between the sticks for the French capital outfit.
Negatives
It was not Yuri Berchiche's finest match in PSG colours and although the Spaniard assisted Di Maria for the first-half equaliser, he was at fault for Saint-Maximin's opener and picked up an ankle injury -- no doubt why he was withdrawn at half-time by Emery.
Although it did not impact the final score for PSG, nor an engrossing contest, it must be said that Francois Letexier's refereeing was poor and occasionally hampered an otherwise positive French football advert for the Asian market.
Manager rating out of 10
8 -- Often criticised for his inability to make match-winning changes, Emery repeated the introduction of Thomas Meunier for Edinson Cavani from Real Madrid away in the Champions League recently and Alves' consequent move forward proved decisive.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Alphonse Areola, 6 -- Questionable on Nice's opener, he atoned for that with a couple of important saves during the remainder of the match.
DF Dani Alves, 6 -- PSG's match winner, he was a surprisingly balanced presence on the right and Emery's decision to push him forward late on proved decisive.
DF Thiago Silva (c), 6 -- Unlike central defensive partner Presnel Kimpembe, he did not lose his cool and will be happy that his team recovered from Saint-Maximin's opener and were more solid at the back after that.
DF Presnel Kimpembe, 5 -- Although his running battle with Mario Balotelli was entertaining, it showed that he can be unnerved, and his overall performance suffered as a result.
DF Yuri Berchiche, 5 -- It was an eventful 45 minutes for him after he was at fault for Nice's opening goal, provided the assist for Di Maria's leveller and went off at the break with an ankle issue.
MF Adrien Rabiot, 6 -- Produced Alves' game-winning moment by digging out an excellent ball into the box at the end of a taxing defensive midfield shift.
MF Marco Verratti, 6 -- Functioned well with Rabiot behind him and Julian Draxler alongside him but picked up a second-half yellow card.
MF Julian Draxler, 4 -- His presence in midfield aided Rabiot and Verratti's displays, but his own suffered and his 76th-minute exit was not a surprise.
FW Kylian Mbappe, 5 -- A constant threat because of his pace and trickery, he was not as decisive as usual and continues to look a bit lost without injured star Neymar.
FW Edinson Cavani, 4 -- Often starved of good service and not his usual self when he did get the ball, his severe drop in recent form continues.
FW Angel Di Maria, 7 -- No Neymar, no problem. In the absence of the Brazilian magician, he stepped up and provided a few moments of magic -- notably a superb solo effort to equalise in the first half.
Substitutes
DF Layvin Kurzawa, 5 -- Sent on to replace Berchiche for the second half, he was more solid than the Spaniard was in the first.
DF Thomas Meunier, NR -- Although his introduction in place of Cavani failed in Madrid, it worked perfectly in Nice as he enabled Alves to push forward and score the winner.
MF Giovani Lo Celso, NR -- Given 14 minutes at the end instead of Draxler, his cameo suggested that he would have added more than the Germany international did if given the start.