Paris St Germain extended their Ligue 1 lead to 15 points when they beat bottom side Girondins de Bordeaux 3-0 at home on Sunday, but their latest Champions League failure still loomed large at the Parc des Princes.
Kylian Mbappe, who was spared the boos of the fans, Neymar and Leandro Paredes found the back of the net to put PSG on 65 points from 28 games, four days after being knocked out of Europe's premier club competition by Real Madrid at the last-16 stage.
The PSG players were met by a cold reception from the crowd, with Neymar heavily booed as he took a free-kick after the team's 'ultra' fans had called for club president Nasser Al Khelaifi and sporting director Leonardo to resign.
Olympique de Marseille leapfrogged Nice into second on goal difference after goals by Gerson, Arkadiusz Milik, Amine Harit and Cengiz Under earned them a 4-1 victory at Stade Brestois later on Sunday.
READ| Ranveer Singh speaks on Ronaldo vs Messi debate, reveals who's the greatest footballer of all time
Stade Rennais are fourth, one point behind OM, after a brilliant first half gave them a 4-2 win at Olympique Lyonnais as former Lyon coach Bruno Genesio enjoyed a second success in two games against the club who sacked him in 2019.
All eyes, however, were on the Parc des Princes on a bitter afternoon.
PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino, who has come under fire after Wednesday's collapse, said he felt sad.
READ| 'King of assists': Netizens react as Lionel Messi's playmaking helps PSG win clash against Saint-Etienne
"Nobody likes this context, it made me sad. All those who love PSG, after the disappointment of Madrid, are sad. I feel sad for what I experienced today," he said.
Asked if Neymar and Lionel Messi, who appeared to be targeted more by the crowd than other players, were affected, he replied: "We were all affected. We understand the disappointment and frustration. We're all going through this together as a team. We have a responsibility to take responsibility for what happened."
The result left Bordeaux on 22 points, four points from safety.
Keylor Navas was back in goal for PSG after Gianluigi Donnarumma's blunder cost them the first goal against Real, while Marco Verratti was suspended.
READ| 'Legend & God!': Netizens get nostalgic seeing Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho reunite for an ad
Only Mbappe, scorer of both goals in the 3-2 aggregate loss to Real, was cheered on by the fans, especially when he opened the scoring after 24 minutes.
Mbappe fired home from close range after Messi's through ball had been deflected into his path by Georginio Wijnaldum.
Messi's name was also booed by the crowd when the PA announcer read out the starting line-ups.
The crowd were still reeling from the disappointment of seeing their team knocked out of the Champions League after conceding three goals in 17 minutes against Real on Wednesday.
READ| Champions League 2022: Karim Benzema's hattrick helps Real Madrid register comeback 3-1 win against PSG
Hundreds of ultras left the Auteuil stand at halftime.
Neymar doubled the lead seven minutes into the second half as he tapped in from Achraf Hakimi's pass after the Moroccan collected another through ball from Messi.
The goal was met by a mixture of whistles and clapping by the fans inside the Parc des Princes but the crowd celebrated properly when Paredes found the top corner from the penalty spot.
