Paris Saint-Germain miss Neymar as they drop first Ligue 1 points at Montpellier

Paris Saint-Germain’s expensively-assembled squad had plenty of possession but they had to contend with a patchy, bumpy pitch and a compact Montpellier side that looked dangerous on the break

Paris Saint-Germain felt Neymar’s absence as they dropped their first points in Ligue 1 this season in a disappointing 0-0 draw at Montpellier on Saturday.

Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe reacts during the French Ligue 1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Montpellier on September 23, 2017 at the Stade de la Mosson stadium in Montpellier, southern France.(AFP)

Montpellier managed to grab a point after a spirited display against a star-studded side who had won their previous six league games.

Brazilian Neymar, who got into an argument with Edinson Cavani over who would take a penalty in last week’s 2-0 win over Lyon, missed the game due to a minor foot injury.

PSG’s expensively-assembled squad had plenty of possession but they had to contend with a patchy, bumpy pitch and a compact Montpellier side that looked dangerous on the break.

Julian Draxler stood in for Neymar but the German produced very few opportunities for Cavani and Kylian Mbappe, who was twice denied by Benjamin Lecomte.

Cavani had PSG’s best chance of the first half but the Uruguayan missed the ball completely as he attempted to meet a low cross in the box.

With Mbappe one of the few PSG players to impress, Cavani managed to miss the ball again in second-half injury time as he desperately tried to get a shot off under pressure from 40-year-old Brazilian defender Hilton.

Montpellier’s less-heralded squad maintained their defensive discipline to claim a point that leaves them 12th in the table on eight points, with PSG still top with 19 points, one ahead of Monaco.