Xvija Kvaratzhelia scored from the bench as Paris Saint-Germain survived a scare at Le Mans with a 3-1 win in Ligue 1 on Saturday evening.
The depleted hosts took a first-half lead through Lucas Beraldo’s penalty, before Louis Mafouta equalized for Le Mans early in the second half.
Kvaratshelia restored their advantage just two minutes after his introduction before Maghnes Akliouche fired home to make it 3-1.
PSG were made to work early against a lively Le Mans side who made a positive start at the Parc des Princes and pressed aggressively.
The visitors registered the first shot of the match, Jean Vercruysse scored from distance in the seventh minute.
But in the 21st minute, it was PSG who opened the score from the penalty spot after Achraf Hakimi was hit in the penalty area. Beraldo stepped up and scored to give them the lead.
Although the visitors leveled just 10 minutes into the match, Mafouta stunned the Parc des Princes with his fourth goal of the season. The assistant referee initially signaled for offside, but replays showed Mafouta had timed his run correctly and the goal stood.
The goal prompted Luis Enrique to introduce Kvaratzhelia and it took just two minutes for the Georgian winger to tap home from close range after a set piece to level the game.
Just seven minutes later, the hosts took a two-goal lead as Akliouche headed in from the halfway line before firing a fine finish at the near post.
Dame Gueye came agonizingly close to pulling one back for Le Mans in the 71st minute, hitting the post as the visitors tried to reduce the arrears once more.
The Parisians were able to see the victory and rise to the fifth place in the table. Next Wednesday, the European champion, who is competing in the Champions League, will be the guest of Manchester City.