Having come from two goals down to beat AS Monaco in their UEFA Champions League (UCL) play-off round first leg in midweek, PSG were looking to take advantage of RC Lens’ defeat to Les Monégasques - who this time recovered from a two-goal deficit themselves.
Against Ligue 1’s bottom club, anything but three points would have been deemed an almighty failure for Les Parisiens, and they followed through on their status as favourites inside three minutes when Desire Doue chipped over Metz goalkeeper Jonathan Fischer after being played through on goal to give his side lead.
While PSG did not create a host of clear-cut chances, with Fischer’s close-range save from Dro Fernandez - on his full debut - one the rare openings, Metz were utterly toothless in attack.
As such, the reigning domestic and European champions effectively put the game to bed when Bradley Barcola headed home at the back post after Fischer had denied Lucas Hernandez on the brink of half-time.
The only good news for Metz before the interval came when Jean-Philippe Gbamin’s red card for a foul on Goncalo Ramos was overturned following a VAR intervention.
PSG were dealt a blow as Doue was forced off injured with an apparent groin issue at the break, but his departure had little impact on the game.
Metz were slightly more adventurous, with Boubacar Traore firing well wide of the target upon one of his side’s few sights of goal.
Nevertheless, PSG remained in total control and added extra gloss to the scoreline via an emphatic finish from Ramos.
This was ultimately as serene an evening PSG could have asked for ahead of their UCL play-off second leg in midweek, and they are also still unbeaten at the Parc des Princes in Ligue 1 this campaign. Metz, meanwhile, have now failed to win any of their past 11 matches in the French top flight and, with 10 points separating them from safety heading into the final 11 games of the season, finishing in the relegation play-off spot is arguably the best they can hope for.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain)