Hakimi hat-trick leads PSG to 5-1 win at Le Havre

Achraf Hakimi scored three goals, leading Paris Saint-Germain to a dominant 5-1 victory over struggling Le Havre in Ligue 1. The French champions extended their lead at the top of the table to four points, with 20 points after nine games. PSG's nearest rivals, Rennes, lost 5-2 to Nice, allowing PSG to widen their gap to two points from Rennes if they win their upcoming match.

Lille will face Lens later on Friday, with a winning result potentially closing the gap to within two points of PSG. Monaco can also close the gap if they win their match against Paris FC on Sunday.

Le Havre opened the scoring in the 18th minute when striker Josh Maja capitalized on a defensive lapse to put his side ahead. However, Le Havre's momentum was short-lived as Hakimi's blistering low drive just inside the near post gave PSG the lead on 26 minutes. The European champions then extended their lead to 2-1 when Hakimi netted his second goal with a powerful free-kick.

The home side made a valiant effort to equalize, but PSG's defense held firm until the hour mark when Hakimi scored his third goal with a cool long-range strike. Hakimi was substituted off shortly after his hat-trick, with coach Luis Enrique explaining that Hakimi excels when his team has possession but must defend when they don't.

The Spanish coach left several star players on the bench, including Desire Doue, Vitinha, and Joao Neves, while injury has kept Ousmane Dembele and Georgian attacker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia out of the match.