Nantes 3-1 PSG: 5 talking points as hosts score thrice in first half to stun league leaders | Ligue 1 2021-22

PSG were humbled in Ligue 1 on Saturday against Nantes, who secured a 3-1 win at the Stade de la Beaujoire. Antoine Kombouare's men scored thrice in the first half as the league leaders struggled to contain their inspired hosts.

Mauricio Pochettino's side opened the game with an early attempt on goal. Neymar combined well with Juan Bernat only for his effort to be saved by Alban Lafont. Nantes hit back with blistering pace on the counter, with Kolo Muani putting his team in the lead in the fourth minute.

PSG failed to make their chances count, and missed quite a few sitters in the game. It seems they did not recover in time from their tough UEFA Champions League win over Real Madrid.

Nantes had a player sent off only to see the red card overturned on VAR review. Dennis Appiah was booked for a foul on Kylian Mbappe. He brought down the PSG ace in the box, but escaped a second booking, a decision that didn't go down well for the visiting side.

It was only PSG's second loss of the season, and they still maintain a healthy 13-point lead atop the standings. With Nantes securing their second win in a row, we take a look at the five talking points from the game:

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#5 PSG unable to deal with Nantes' pace throughout the game

PSG conceded two goals to counter-attacks.

Nantes lined up with Moses Simon and Randal Kolo Muani up front against PSG. The two players were very quick on their feet, and tormented Les Parisiens' full-backs throughout the game.

For the first goal, the duo combined well on the counter down the left flank. With the full-backs pushed up ahead in attack, the league leaders were caught off-guard.

For the second, it was the turn for the speedy wing-backs to combine. Osman Bukari raced into a good position down the right flank. Quentin Merlin, who started out as a striker before shifting to left-back, displayed his fine finishing skills. He struck Bukari's first-time cut-back to rifle his shot into the top right corner of goal.

There were similar instances where the visiting side committed too many men forward. However, they escaped conceding another goal only due to some poot finishing by the hosts.

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#4 Neymar scores in his first league game of the year, but fails to impress

Neymar reduced PSG's deficit to two goals with a second-half strike.

Neymar scored on his return to Ligue 1 action after a lengthy injury spell. He picked up an assist in the Champions League in midweek, so he seems to be in good touch.

Well, his performance for most of the game suggested otherwise. His 47th-minute goal provided a glimpse of his great individual quality. He latched onto Lionel Messi's precise pass, cut inside to his right foot and thumped his shot into the near post.

Only 11 minutes later, the visiting side earned a penalty when Kylian Mbappe went down in the box following Dennis Appiah's challenge. As Messi had missed a penalty against Real Madrid, Neymar got the nod from the spot. However, his weak effort was easily saved by Lafont as the Brazilian failed to reduce the visitors' deficit.

#3 Lionel Messi marks his 800th club game with an assist

Messi picked up the assist for Neymar's goal.

Lionel Messi seems to be slowly getting into his groove at PSG. He has picked up an assist in four consecutive Ligue 1 games, and operated in a deeper role throughout the match.

It was the Argentine forward's 800th club game, having scored 679 times and assisting on 273 occasions. While it ended in a loss, he marked it with his eighth assist of the season. He is currently only behind Dmitri Payet, Jonathan Clauss and Mbappe in the assists charts in Ligue 1.

While he has not found his goalscoring form in the league, it is good to see him pulling strings from deeper positions. Messi's heatmap indicated that he played in a central position just behind the penalty box. That means he is letting Mbappe and Neymar do all the running, and is happy to sit back.

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#2 Alban Lafont puts in a brilliant display between the sticks

Alban Lafont saved Neymar's penalty.

Alban Lafont added to his growing reputation with an outstanding performance against the capital club. He stood tall between the sticks, and got most of his decisions in the game spot-on.

He had to make a couple of advanced, risky saves, but kept his cool and avoided conceding fouls. While he saved Neymar's penalty in the 58th minute, Lafont was consistent till the very end. He has now saved three of the last four penalties saved in Ligue 1 this season.

Lafont made as many as eight saves in the game. While the attackers gave the team a 3-0 lead in the first half, the custodian's numerous saves helped Nantes secure a memorable win.

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#1 PSG were wasteful in the final third

PSG dominated possession against Nantes.

PSG have only themselves to blame for the second loss of their league campaign. Firstly, they conceded three goals in the first half, which was poor. However, it was a scoreline they should have been able to recover from, considering the firepower at their disposal.

Mbappe had come up clutch in his last two outings, scoring injury-time winners, but missed many chances against Nantes. He powered a shot just over the crossbar in the 73rd minute when in front of the goal, and was bested by Lafont throughout.

Messi also missed a chance from inside the penalty area, while Neymar missed opportunities in either half. It just wasn't PSG's day as the team saw a glaring problem in their game get exposed.

They can dominate possession, but decisiveness in front of goal remains something they need to work on.