Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Saint-Etienne: Dembele double does the damage

Ousmane Dembele scored twice to move Paris Saint-Germain seven points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after beating Saint-Etienne 2-1 at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.

Dembele struck twice in ten first-half minutes to ensure Luis Enrique's side started the season unbeaten, despite Zuriko Davitashvili's goal just after the hour mark.

After a dominant start to proceedings, the hosts took the lead in the 13th minute when Dembele fired the ball past Gautier Larsonneur after a dazzling run into the area.

The Parisiens had the opportunity to double their lead shortly afterwards when Achraf Hakimi's cross was handled by Leo Petrot.

Referee Benoit Millot was forced to overturn his decision on the pitch after a VAR review, with Dembele acting to send the visiting goalkeeper the wrong way from 12 yards.

PSG thought they had taken the lead when Bradley Barcola tapped the ball in, but the Frenchman allegedly committed a foul during the build-up.

Barcola squandered a glorious opportunity shortly after half-time, with that missed opportunity ruthlessly punished by Davitashvili with an excellent free kick past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Dembele had a chance to complete his hat-trick in the closing stages, but somehow sent his shot over the crossbar when he was one-on-one with Larsonneur.

Data debrief: Dembélé the difference

Many believed PSG would struggle without talisman Kylian Mbappe following his move to Real Madrid, but Dembele has shown he has what it takes to lead Luis Enrique's side.

Dembélé scored his tenth goal in Ligue 1 this season, having only managed one more goal in one season in the top five of European competition in his first appearance with Rennes in 2015/16 (12).

It is the fourth time he has scored at least two goals in a top match for PSG, something he had previously achieved only three times in Europe's top five leagues.

With Barcola (10) and now Dembele (10), PSG is the third team in the top five European leagues to have two players with ten or more league goals this season, joining Barcelona (Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha) and Brentford (Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa).

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