Achraf Hakimi scored a hat-trick as a heavily rotated Paris Saint-Germain thumped bottom-placed Le Havre 5-1 in Ligue 1 on Friday. The victory extended PSG's winning streak to six league matches and moved them to the top of the table with 20 points.
Le Havre took a surprise lead against the run of play when Josh Maja hammered home the opener in the 18th minute. PSG responded quickly: Mika Godts levelled in the 26th minute after a pass from Hakimi, and two minutes later Hakimi put the visitors ahead with a blistering low drive inside the near post.
Hakimi added a third with a fierce free-kick that curled low past goalkeeper Arnaud Bodard to make it 3-1. Senny Mayulu effectively ended the contest just after the hour mark, rounding Bodard and finishing coolly from long range. Hakimi completed his hat-trick in the 69th minute when his initial effort was saved but rebounded off him and looped into the net. He was substituted shortly after by coach Luis Enrique.
"He's a striker when we have the ball. He's free to do that when we are in possession, but obliged to defend when we aren't," Enrique said of Hakimi's attacking role. The Spanish coach left stars Désiré Doué, Vitinha and João Neves on the bench, while Ousmane Dembélé was absent through injury and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia faces a lengthy spell out after tearing his ACL in last week's Champions League win over Barcelona.
Other results
PSG's nearest rivals Rennes lost 5-2 at Nice, dropping four points behind the leaders with 16 points. Lille moved into second place on 18 points after a 1-0 home win over Lens, settled by a late goal from 40-year-old Olivier Giroud, his third of the season. Monaco can join Lille on 18 points if they beat Paris FC on Sunday. Le Havre remain on just two points.
