PSG star Kylian Mbappe is enjoying the most prolific season of his career but knew hard toil lay behind the 1-0 win at Saint-Etienne.

Kylian Mbappe chose to focus upon Paris Saint-Germain's collective after his stunning winner at Saint-Etienne broke new ground.

Mbappe netted the only goal of an otherwise forgettable contest in sublime fashion, swivelling to volley Dani Alves' lofted pass into the top left corner after 73 minutes.

It was Mbappe's 19th goal in 18 Ligue 1 appearances this season – making him the first player to have such a prolific return for 45 years.

Another increasingly recognisable feature of the performance was PSG's shape-shifting under Thomas Tuchel, as Marquinhos returned to centre-back and Juan Bernat tackled an unfamiliar midfield role.

As such, Mbappe hailed a team triumph on Sunday.

"We played against a good team, especially at home," he told Canal+.

"Few teams will come here to win, we did it. We are happy and we leave with the three points.

"We must continue and aim as high as possible. My stats are good, but the team is better."

It left Saint-Etienne boss Jean-Louis Gasset to shower praise upon a player he feels will soon stand above them all.

"Paris respected us because it was practically the same team that played against Manchester United," Gasset told reporters, having seen Tuchel make three alterations from the side that triumphed at Old Trafford.

"We decided to defend low and try to counter if we could. We lost on a goal that came from elsewhere - a 20-year-old, who will soon be the best player in the world.

"He's going to be the best player in the world in two or three years if he continues like that."