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PARIS -- Paris Saint-Germain have the bragging rights over Olympique de Marseille after a 1-0 win on Sunday night at Parc des Princes in Ligue 1. Neymar scored the only goal of the game just before halftime while OM finished the encounter with 10 men after Samuel Gigot saw red.

It was a welcome return to form for the French champions after three consecutive draws, and they avoided a potentially disastrous first defeat of the campaign while controversy is rife. Kylian Mbappe might not have scored the decisive goal, but he was key in creating it as he assisted Neymar for it before rejecting recent reports that he is unhappy with PSG.

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"No, I am not angry with PSG," Mbappe said when asked about a potential January transfer. "I am very happy. I have not asked for a January move. The report surfaced the day of a game which I did not understand. I am not involved in it and I was just as shocked as everybody else."

The home atmosphere was electric as is regularly the case with Le Classique as it is French soccer's most prestigious fixture. Despite an enforced absence of away supporters, the home fans created an intimidating atmosphere that inspired the home side to make a fast start with a flurry of chances.

Marseille goalkeeper Pau Lopez was in inspired form in the first half and produced a string of impressive saves to keep PSG at bay. Even when the Spaniard was beaten by a Lionel Messi free kick, the woodwork came to his rescue and that of his teammates who had also covered the goal line.

It needed something special to beat Lopez, and it arrived just before the halftime whistle with Mbappe teeing up Neymar for a neat finish in off the post. That was the Brazilian superstar's first PSG goal in over a month, having last netted at club level in the UEFA Champions League win away at Maccabi Haifa.

The second half was a scrappier affair with Gianluigi Donnarumma alert to keep Jonathan Clauss out when Marseille created a good opening. However, substitute Gigot saw straight red for a foul on Neymar 18 minutes from time which effectively ended OM's hopes of taking something away from Parc des Princes.

It could and arguably should have been a greater winning margin given how many chances were created by the capital outfit. That was a measure of how good Lopez's showing was, though, foiling pretty much everything that was thrown at him.

"Both sides attacked a lot and we started very well," Galtier said post-match. "Later on, they caused us some problems. I really liked what I saw from us. We created a lot of favorable situations. Unfortunately, it was only 1-0, but it was a deserved win."

Despite the positive result, it was another costly evening for PSG with Danilo Pereira forced off with an injury after just 25 minutes to worsen Christophe Galtier's defensive crisis. With Sergio Ramos suspended and Presnel Kimpembe injured, a lengthy absence to the Portugal international could force the use of youth academy talent.

"We knew we were in for a fight," Marco Verratti said after the game. "Marseille are very aggressive. They are having a very good season. It was a game that we absolutely had to win and we did. We could have scored two. We suffered and resisted together and managed to get the win by playing well."

However, the result was the most important thing for the home side here, and a tricky test was successfully navigated to create a three-point lead over FC Lorient in second place. Mbappe's crisis of faith in PSG's leadership is rocking the club off the field, but it is yet to impact what is happening on it.

"I am very honest,"Galtier added when asked about his players and particularly Mbappe. "We try to find the best combinations possible. Everything is going well in the locker room. These are players with great character, but they are also great professionals."