J Edinson Cavani made amends for his penalty miss with a late goal as Paris Saint-Germain beat Troyes 2-0 in Ligue 1 at Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
The league leaders were facing the prospect of two points dropped against a much-improved Troyes side after Cavani had a first-half penalty saved, but strike partner Neymar gave PSG the lead 17 minutes from time before the Uruguayan atoned for his spot-kick woe in the dying seconds.
Jean-Louis Garcia's Troyes went into the game having won two of their previous three in Ligue 1 and they could have been 1-0 up after 35 minutes when Stephane Darbion found the back of the net, but an offside flag had already been raised.
Cavani then won a penalty after having his shirt pulled, but his effrt was kept out by Mamadou Samassa and the visitors and there may be calls for future penalty-taking duties to fall to Neymar, who contested Cavani for the right to take them earlier in the season.
The hard-fought victory kept PSG 10 points clear of second-placed Marseille and extended their winning run to five league games, proving that even when the likes of second-half substitute Kylian Mbappe are out of form, Emery has ample talent at his disposal.
Garcia will take comfort from the way his side battled against the league's standout opposition and if they can maintain the same level of performance over the festive period they should expect to pull away from the relegation battle.