As Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Saint-Etienne 3-1 in Ligue 1 on Saturday, Lionel Messi was once again a notable performer. The Argentine started on the right side of the attack with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar in a front-three. In midfield, Danilo Pereira took over for Marco Verratti, who was injured. Nuno Mendes and Gianluigi Donnarumma have also returned to the squad after missing the defeat to Nantes last time out.
PSG's game got off to a bad start when Denis Bouanga gave Saint-Etienne an early lead. The Gabonese attacker dispossessed Pereira and calmly tapped past Donnarumma in goal. This was the worst conceivable start for the French champions, who were seeking to rebound from their loss to Nantes the week before. In the 26th minute, Saint-Etienne came close to increasing their lead, but Donnarumma made a spectacular save to deny Ryad Boudebouz. The save appeared to have jolted PSG into action, with Pochettino's side pressing for an equalizer.
After Lionel Messi sent through Kylian Mbappe in the 42nd minute, their pressure paid reward. The Frenchman's effort was strong enough to get past Paul Bernardoni's hands and into the net. Although the goalie should have saved his effort, PSG's goal was well justified on the balance of play. The second half began in the same manner, with Pochettino's team flying out of the gates. The pass from Lionel Messi appeared to be destined for substitute Angel Di Maria, but it was intercepted by Mbappe. He was on hand again in the 47th minute, beating the Argentine to the ball and firing past Bernardoni to make it 2-1.
Five minutes later, the Frenchman would give the assist, looping in a beautiful ball with the outside of his right foot for Pereira to slam home a header. The game was no longer a contest after the goal, as the Parisians strolled to victory. Pochettino's team is now 16 points clear at the top of Ligue 1. Next weekend, the French giants face second-placed Nice before going to Spain for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie against Real Madrid.
PSG's Lionel Messi maintains his excellent form.
On the night, Lionel Messi had two assists and was a persistent threat down the right flank. In his 16 league games this season, the Argentine has scored two goals and contributed ten assists. Pochettino will be pleased with his compatriot's performance and hopes he can continue in the same spirit for the remainder of the season.
With that being said, here are the best Twitter reactions to PSG's 3-1 win over Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1:
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