Paris Saint-Germain extended their unbeaten run in Ligue 1 (L1) to 14 games, following a dominant 5-1 victory away to Lille.
PSG came into the game wanting to correct their recent away form, following three consecutive 1-1 draws. This objective began in the perfect manner as Ivo Grbić spilled Nuno Mendes’ cross into the path of Danilo Pereira who tapped in with ease to open the scoring after just 10 minutes. Lille did not allow the mistake to dishearten them as they grew into the game and equalised just before the half-hour mark. Hatem Ben Arfa rolled back the years, showcasing his magician-like dribbling on the wing, leaving Ángel Di María no chance before cutting the ball back to Sven Botman to volley the ball into the back of the net.
With the scores level, and looking like the better team it seemed like Lille would head towards HT in a good position. However, a collection of defensive calamities gifted PSG two goals right before the break. Grbić attempted to punch Lionel Messi’s corner away, but instead, completely missed the ball allowing it to fall to Presnel Kimpembe, who made no mistake volleying it in from just a few yards out. The third gift of the evening was presented to Messi, who pounced on a loose clearance before dinking the ball over the onrushing Grbić, who had a disastrous first half.
It took just six second half minutes for Mauricio Pochettino’s side to grab a fourth, and once again it came in fortuitous circumstances, as Pereira’s speculative effort from outside the box took a wicked deflection, causing it to fly past a hapless Grbić. With a three-goal cushion, it was a case of game management for the remaining 40 minutes. Kylian Mbappé wanted to get in on the action though, and he did just that with an incredible curling shot from outside the box to make it 5-1.
Following their cup exit earlier in the week, Pochettino’s side silenced their critics with a dominant display, as they charge towards a 10th L1 title. Lille however, continue their disastrous defence of the title as they sit in 11th place.