Vitinha and Goncalo Ramos scored in the second half as 10-man Paris St Germain overcame early jitters to secure a 2-0 win and hand Marseille their first home loss of the season in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
PSG's league double over their rivals took them to 62 points and put them 12 points clear of second-placed Brest, who won 1-0 at Lorient earlier in the day.
5⃣0⃣th Parisian victory in Le Classique! ✨❤️💙#LeClassique | #OMPSG pic.twitter.com/OcYt6fRNmZ
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) March 31, 2024
"Yes, I'm happy with the result, because it's a classic," PSG manager Luis Enrique said. "We know it's special for our supporters. We knew the pressure in this stadium where they were undefeated."
PSG endured a frustrating first half at a rainy Stade Velodrome as Marseille's defence nullified the league's leading goalscorer Kylian Mbappe until he was substituted just after the hour mark.
Lucas Beraldo was sent off five minutes before the break, after a challenge on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang by the touchline that the referee deemed to be denying a goalscoring opportunity after a VAR review despite it happening near the halfway line.
But Vitinha opened the scoring for the league leaders in the 53rd minute, running through the middle and playing a one-two with Ousmane Dembele before firing home from near the penalty spot.
Marseille thought they had equalised six minutes later when Luis Henrique found the net but his effort was ruled out for offside.
Marseille pressed hard with Aubameyang and Faris Moumbagna creating several chances, but PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made 10 saves in the match to ensure a clean sheet.
Ramos ended the hosts' comeback hopes in the 85th minute with Marco Asensio setting him up for a right-footed finish that silenced the Stade Velodrome.
END OF THE MATCH and a WIN 2⃣ goals to 0⃣! ✔️🔴🔵
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) March 31, 2024
Playing 10 against 11, the Parisians win and take the 3 points against Marseille! ⚽️🔥#Ligue1 | #LeClassique | #OMPSG pic.twitter.com/dlPzWKitrU
"There's always this desire to be unpredictable for opponents," Enrique said.
"I liked what I saw in terms of occupying space. If you don't know where my players are going to play, it's a surprise."
PSG next face Stade Rennais in Wednesday's French Cup semifinal while Marseille, seventh with 39 points, visit Lille in the league on Friday.