Kylian Mbappé bagged a brace on Thursday night to fire Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-1 victory over Metz at the Parc des Princes.
The France skipper, who was celebrating his 25th birthday, added to Vitinha's first-half opener on the hour mark with a superb long-range shot that beat the Metz goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja.
Though the visitors halved the deficit through skipper Matthieu Udol, Mbappé restored the two-goal advantage in the 83rd minute to notch up his 19th goal of the season in all competitions.
In stoppage time, Mbappé's 16-year-old brother, Ethan, entered as a substitute to make his first senior appearance for PSG.
The victory took the Ligue 1 champions to 40 points after 17 games. Nice are five points behind following a 2-0 win over Lens and Monaco – 2-1 winners at Toulouse – stay third with 33 points from their 17 games.
"You need to be consistent in these games from the very first minute," said PSG boss Luis Enrique after the victory.
"We could have done better in the final third in the first-half in terms of our precision but these games are always difficult. I think we were deserved winners."
The French top flight resumes in the second week of January after a break for Christmas and New Year.
From 1 January, Kylian Mbappé will be free to talk to other clubs about a possible transfer. The striker has been linked with a move to Real Madrid and he was banished from the first team at the start of the campaign when he refused to sign an extension to his contract that is due to end next May.
"What I've learned from being at big clubs over the years is that everything can happen," added Enrique who took over at PSG last July. "Speculation always circulates around big clubs."
Just before the game, PSG announced defender Presnel Kimpembe – who has been out of action with an achilles injury since February, had agreed a new deal that will keep him at his boyhood club until June 2026.
The story goes on ❤️💙#Kimpembe2026 #MadeInParis
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) December 20, 2023
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Kimpembe, 28, signed his first contract in March 2015 and has made nearly 240 appearances for the club winning 23 trophies including seven Ligue 1 titles and six Coupe de France crowns.
He was also part of France squads that won the 2018 World Cup and 2021 Nations League. "I am very happy to continue at the club that I love," said Kimpembe.
"I would like to thank the club and its supporters for the faith they have shown and I hope to be back on the field as soon as possible."
