Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Angers: 5 talking points as controverial Kylian Mbappe penalty secures poor comeback victory | Ligue 1 2021-22

Paris Saint-Germain labored to an unconvincing 2-1 victory over Angers in Ligue 1 sans Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Kylian Mbappe struck a penalty in the 86th minute to seal the comeback after Danilo had canceled out Angelo Fulgini's shock first-half opener for the visitors.

Les Scoïstes found the lead against the run of play with just over half an hour played after catching their might hosts on the break.

They quickly countered up the pitch after winning the ball back in midfield. Sofiane Boufal then got down the right-wing and laid a sublime cross for Fulgini to power home a header.

Despite dominating possession and creating better chances, Paris Saint-Germain found themselves behind at the break, needing a big performance in the second-half.

While they weren't exactly impressive, Mauricio Pochettino's side at least managed to come from behind.

Danilo produced a header of his own to convert a cross from Mbappe. The 2018 World Cup winner later stepped up to take a controversial penalty for Pierrick Capelle's alleged handball.

He made no mistake from 12 yards, coolly slotting the ball into the bottom corner to save Paris Saint-Germain another embarrassing result.

Here are the major talking points from the match:

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#5 Controversial penalty rescues Paris Saint-Germain

The penalty decision has invoked polarizing fan reactions

On a night when the side scarcely deserved to board their bus back home with all three points, PSG ended up getting really lucky in the end.

A cross from Mbappe was adjudged to have come off Angers midfielder Pierrick Capelle's arm, although replays showed it wasn't fully clear.

Sure, the player's arms were raised in reflex as Icardi next to him tried to head it home, but there was no blatant clip of the ball brushing off his arm.

The referee, who initially waved away penalty appeals, overturned his decision following a VAR review and gave Paris Saint-Germain a spot-kick. Mbappe did the rest.

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#4 Mauro Icardi misses the chance to impress

Besides the penalty incident, Icardi was a complete no-show

With no Lionel Messi or Neymar in the side, Mauro Icardi was given the chance to lead the line for Paris Saint-Germain.

What should've been a night of redemption ended in a damp squib with the Argentine dropping a stinker in front of goal.

He struggled to get to the end of the crosses and was generally a fringe figure in the game. He made only 19 touches on the ball in 90 minutes and completed only nine passes.

It looked like he had also missed a great chance to win the match for his side. He fired a header straight at Angers goalkeeper from Mbappe's cross late on.

Luckily for him, it was deemed to have come off Capelle's arm that led to a match-winning penalty. That was his only notable contribution to the match for Paris Saint-Germain.

An opportunity missed.

#3 Angers catch PSG off-guard with a quick break

Angers stunned PSG with a lightening-quick counter

With their mighty hosts dominating possession and creating better chances, Angers were content to sit back and soak up pressure. But then they punished PSG with a quick counter-attack.

A few minutes after the half-hour mark, Jimmy Cabot brilliantly intercepted Marco Verratti and passed it up to Sofiane Boufal. He then scampered up a few steps before whopping a low cross for Fulgini.

The 25-year-old placed a nice header from inside the area, powering the ball into the back of the net beyond Donnarumma. And just like that, Angers were in front against the run of play.

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#2 Achraf Hakimi was missed

Hakimi's value to the side clear tonight

Goalscoring phenomenon Messi and Neymar were both absent from the match, but PSG didn't suffer from a lack of creativity. Where they really struggled was in the right-back position.

Pochettino opted to give Achraf Hakimi, who played every minute of Morocco's three World Cup qualifying fixtures, a rest. Colin Dagba was given the go-ahead in his position.

The move was a big failure from the start, with the Frenchman struggling to offer anything meaningful in attack. And if that wasn't enough, his recovery in the build-up to Angers' goal was poor too.

Pochettino looked to rectify his mistake by subbing on Hakimi in the 72nd minute and the impact was almost immediate. The former Inter Milan star added plenty of threat and purpose to the right flank.

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#1 PSG are winning but their performance should worry Pochettino

Nothing to celebrate about PSG's performance

Like a true champion, PSG are managing to grind out results even when not performing at their best. But this has been the theme of their last few sets of games, and it should worry Pochettino.

This kind of form is not sustainable in the long run.

It's true that some of their key figures were missing in action tonight. But given the depth and experience of their squad, the game should've been a walkover for PSG.

And yet, here they are, riding their luck with an 87th-minute penalty to win against the little-known Angers following a near-disastrous show.

It worked for them here, but don't expect a similar result against big sides like RB Leipzig, whom they play next in the Champions League on Tuesday.