After surprisingly losing their league game over the weekend, Dutch champions PSV were looking to bounce back against a Red Star side which hadn't played a meaningful minute of football in nearly a month.
And it were the visitors who made the first statement when midfielder Joey Veerman tried his luck from distance, but PSV's midfield maestro could only squeeze a corner out of his attempt.
American full-back Ricardo Ledezma handed Red Star striker Cherif Ndiaye a chance roughly ten minutes after Veerman's attempt but the Senegalese star couldn't get his side on front either.
One of Europe's best headers could just a couple minutes later: Luuk de Jong skillfully headed a Joey Veerman corner home, thus earning PSV the lead after 17 minutes.
The Dutch formation doubled their lead just seven minutes later and it was De Jong again who put PSV on the scoreboard with his second headed goal of the game.
Some defensive mistakes almost cost PSV dearly, were it not for Argentinian stopper Walter Benitez keeping his side two goals in front.
Centre-half Ryan Flamingo made that three with a scorching volley just before half-time, slotting home a rebound from another PSV corner.
The same young defender made a costly mistake just five minutes after the break when Flamingo took down Nemanja Radonjic late and received a direct red card from Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs.
Already battling the snowballs thrown from the stands, PSV now had to face a revitalised Red Star team which had its sights on the ten men from Eindhoven and a famous Champions League comeback.
Chances started coming thick and fast through Radonjic and Timi Elsnik, but neither could defeat an excellent Benitez.
With twenty minutes to go, time started to run out for the Serbian giants and it was Ndiaye who got them going with a free header from five yards out.
Shortly after, Burkinese defender Nasser Djiga added a second from a corner kick, throwing the game wide open with less than fifteen minutes remaining.
But instead of the home side coming closest to an equaliser, PSV got the biggest opportunity in the closing stages with Joey Veerman putting a ball just wide of the post with just minutes left on the clock.
Red Star failed to convert a trio of chances in injury time, handing PSV their first win since their historic comeback against Shakhtar Donetsk.
PSV jump to 11 points in the Champions League are close to guaranteeing their spot in the next round. The Eindhoven team will have to get bring their A-game next week when Premier League leaders Liverpool and fellow Dutchman Arne Slot visit the Philips Stadion.
Meanwhile, Red Star are officially eliminated with tonight's loss as the Serbians are left with three points after seven games, five less than 24th-placed Manchester City.