Hakimi hat-trick sends PSG five past Le Havre and four points clear

Paris Saint-Germain's Moroccan full-back Achraf Hakimi scored a hat-trick on Friday as a much-changed side won 5-1 at bottom club Le Havre in Ligue 1.

The result, combined with Rennes losing 5-2 at Nice, took the champions to 20 points from nine games and opened a four-point lead at the top.

Lille, who host Lens later on Friday, and Monaco, who visit Paris FC on Sunday, can both cut the gap to two points with wins.

Le Havre start brightly, then fade

Le Havre began with real intent and pushed numbers forward, unsettling the PSG defence. Striker Josh Maja put them ahead on 18 minutes against the run of play.

The lead lasted eight minutes. Mika Godts, the Belgian winger, ran onto a Hakimi pass and levelled on 26 minutes. Two minutes later Hakimi beat the defence and drove low inside the near post to make it 2-1.

Hakimi's second came from a free-kick that curled low past goalkeeper Arnaud Bodard, putting PSG 3-1 up.

Just after the hour, Le Havre committed players forward and were caught out. Senny Mayulu rounded the home goalkeeper, who was stranded far off his line, and finished from long range into an empty net.

Hakimi completed his treble on 69 minutes, threading a shot through a crowd of players. He had barely finished celebrating when coach Luis Enrique took him off.

"He's a striker when we have the ball. He's free to do that when we are in possession, but obliged to defend when we aren't," Luis Enrique said of Hakimi.

Luis Enrique had left Desire Doue, Vitinha and Joao Neves on the bench, while Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were out injured.

What happens next: PSG's lead at the top could shrink to two points if Lille or Monaco win their weekend games. Le Havre remain bottom and will need points quickly to climb away from trouble.