Pogba Rallies Monaco Fans After Ten-Man Win That Blows Ligue 1 Title Race Wide Open

Paul Pogba marked his home debut for Monaco with a stirring post-match speech as the Principality side stunned champions Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 to crank the Ligue 1 title race wide open on Saturday night. Back in competitive action at last, the former Manchester United midfielder looked like he’d never been away.

Takumi Minamino grabbed the winner with 22 minutes left, sweeping Aleksandr Golovin’s cross into the bottom corner from just inside the box. Monaco looked comfortable enough until Thilo Kehrer clattered into Ibrahim Mbaye and was shown a straight red with ten minutes on the clock, leaving the hosts to cling on for dear life. PSG piled forward in waves, but the ten men dug in and stayed there.

Pogba came on in the 86th minute, adding a cool head in the middle as Monaco rode out the storm. And once the whistle went, he took centre stage. The Frenchman grabbed the mic and delivered a rallying call to the home crowd: “Today is an important day. Today we won, but the next match is what matters… We keep moving forward together. We never give up. Thank you.” The fans lapped it up.

It’s been a stop-start few years for Pogba, but Monaco snapped him up on a free this summer and the early signs is they’ve got a player hungry to prove he’s still got plenty left. His late cameo was small but steady, helping a young side hold firm when it mattered most.

The win sends Monaco up to sixth on 23 points, just one behind Rennes, but the real noise is at the top. Lens now lead the league after beating Angers 2-1 on Sunday, a point clear of PSG, who sit on 30 points from 14 matches. Marseille blew their own chance to go top after conceding a 92nd-minute equaliser against Toulouse, despite goals from Igor Paixão and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg earlier on.

Lille are fourth, three clear of Monaco but still five off Lens after nicking a late 1-0 win at Le Havre despite losing Ayyoub Bouaddi to a red. With the top six separated by only eight points, Ligue 1 suddenly looks properly alive. And if Pogba can stay fit and firing, Monaco might just fancy joining the party again.