PSG manager Christophe Galtier has shown little to suggest that he should stay beyond the season, and recent developments have prompted doubt over whether he can even last the final couple of months.
He is wobbling on a constant tightrope, his job reportedly in jeopardy with every negative result or unflattering news story. A defeat against second-placed Lens on Saturday, which would have given Ligue 1 a genuine title fight, may have seen him out of work before he finished his morning pastry.
But Galtier avoided that fate thanks to Mbappe and Messi.
The manager didn't appear to have much of a tactical impact on the contest, but his fist pumps, jumps, claps and shouts that accompanied all three PSG goals on Saturday were those of a manager who knows he might just have bought himself some time.
PSG's dynamic duo dictated it all, combining to ease the club nine points clear atop Ligue 1 and essentially ensuring there will be no late domestic collapse in the French capital.
Lens were enjoying the better of the play before Salis Abdul Samed was shown a straight red for raking his studs down Achraf Hakimi's ankle. And with a one-man advantage, the Parisians came alive.
Mbappe received a pass inside the box before swiveling and firing into the bottom corner. Vitinha followed shortly after, blasting a shot in from 30 yards. Messi added the finest of the three, completing a flowing move to put the game beyond doubt.
Fabian Ruiz gave up a needless penalty that Lens' Przemyslaw Frankowski tucked away in the second half, but it didn't have much significance beyond a lost clean sheet.
The win seemingly wrapped up Ligue 1 for the Parisians, and will all-but keep Galtier employed until the end of the season. There aren't many bright days at PSG this term, but his was one of them.
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