Twitter erupts as Lionel Messi shines in PSG's 5-1 victory over Lille

Messi registered a goal and an assist on the night

Lionel Messi put in a man-of-the-match performance as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) thumped defending champions Lille 5-1 in Ligue 1 on Sunday. The Argentinian superstar scored his second league goal of the campaign, while also providing an assist on the night.

PSG needed to bounce back with a huge performance after being knocked out of the Coupe de France by Nice last week and that's exactly what Mauricio Pochettino's side did. Despite having a severely depleted squad, the French giants fielded an extremely strong lineup, with Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Kylian Mbappe all starting in attack.

Lille shot themselves in the foot early on as goalkeeper Ivo Grbic spilled a routine cross for Danilo Pereira to stab home and give his side the lead. However, the French champions did well to stay in the game and their resilience was rewarded in the 28th minute when Sven Botman scored an acrobatic scissor kick after some good work by Hatem Ben Arfa down the touchline.

Their joy was shortlived, however, as Presnel Kimpembe powered home a header after connecting with Lionel Messi's corner in the 32nd minute. The Argentine would then get in on the action in vintage fashion. He skipped past the defender's challenge before dinking the ball over Grbic to score his second league goal of the campaign.

The Parisians went into half-time 3-1 up and in the ascendancy with Messi hitting the crossbar with a free-kick right before the half ended. The second half started much the same, with PSG dominating proceedings. Their pressure paid off in the 51st minute as Pereira fired home from outside the area after a scramble in the box. This was the midfielder's third goal in his last three games.

Pochettino's side came close to making it 5-1 four minutes later as Mbappe saw his effort saved after latching onto Achraf Hakimi's dangerous cross. However, the Frenchman would not be denied a second time as he curled an effort into the top corner in the 67th minute after some good work by Marco Verratti in midfield.

This killed the game as a contest as the tempo of both sides' attacking play drastically reduced. Neither side made any more significant chances and PSG came away 5-1 winners.

Lionel Messi hitting form for PSG at the right time

With their huge Champions League Roundof 16 clash against Real Madrid on the horizon, PSG will be glad that Lionel Messi is getting back to his best.

The Argentine recently returned to action after a month, having tested positive for COVID-19 back in December. However, it seems like Messi is now getting into his groove at the club. The forward has scored one goal and provided two assists in three matches since making his return and Mauricio Pochettino will hope that he can continue in the same vein of form for the rest of the campaign.

With that being said, here are the best Twitter reactions to PSG's 5-1 victory against Lille in Ligue 1:

🔚👏 Magnifique victoire parisienne dans ce choc de la #Ligue1 ! Un festival offensif avec des buts somptueux ❤️💙🔥

@losclive 1⃣-5⃣ @PSG_inside

#𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗖𝗣𝗦𝗚 I 1-5 https://t.co/1kxPjimt4V

Messi has 12 Goal Contributions in his last 13 games for PSG 🔥 https://t.co/t8SoH3kdP0

Messi has now scored a goal in:

2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022

Eternal ♾️ https://t.co/pFWClkILMp

LIONEL MESSI BAGS HIS FIRST GOAL OF 2022 🗓 https://t.co/BoZuOze94v

MESSI FINDS THE BACK OF THE NET FOR PSG 👏👏

(Via @ESbeINSPORTS)

https://t.co/M9JKvOVNyF

Kylian Mbappé has now been directly involved in THREE-HUNDRED first-team goals for club & country:

◎ 314 games
◉ 203 goals
◉ 97 assists

Outrageous output at the age of 23. https://t.co/dwVirs5Y1Z

Pochetinno's system is so out of place that he has Danilo Pereira scoring a brace in a game 😭

if the 22 wc final is between portugal and argentina i guarantee you the winning goal will be scored by danilo pereira

Les défenses de Lille et du PSG ce soir
https://t.co/hzj1sXoZdE

Messi vs Lille (A)

1 goal
1 assist
6 Chances Created
2 Successful dribbles
9.2 rating
MOTM https://t.co/4Ml3oqwUFf

TakeAways from PSG vs Lille:

-Mbappe Messi Duo 🔥
-Nuno is Amazing
-Donnarumma catches everything
-Paredes Verratti Danilo Trio?
-PochIn?
-We need Neymar back asap
-Kimpembe has been Solid in 2022
-Lille Karma

Paris Saint-Germain won easily 5-1 against LOSC and strengthened its leadership position. Leo Messi scored with a beautiful chip and gave an assist to Presnel Kimpembe from a corner. The Argentine also hit the crossbar with a free kick. 👏🏻🐐 https://t.co/VyQyggXf0M

The media wants you to believe that Messi is flopping at PSG while Ronaldo is thriving at Man United 😂

Let’s see;
Ronaldo; 17 G/A in 24 games. “Carrying” Man United in 4th, 19 points behind 1st🤡

Messi; 13 G/A in 19 games. Useless signing despite leading PSG to 1ST position.

Messi's real rival 😅
Crossbar again🥴 https://t.co/GMdfwCwTau

MESSI ICE COLD, 1 GOAL 1 ASSIST IN THE TOUGHEST AWAY GAME OF THE SEASON 🔥🔥🔥 MASTERCLASS MESSI https://t.co/epgNaQE4tO