Kylian Mbappe and Neymar both scored twice and Lionel Messi ended a barren spell as Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain crushed Lorient 5-1 on Sunday.
Mauricio Pochettino s side were overwhelmed in a 3-0 loss to Monaco before the international break, but they were soon ahead at the Parc des Princes when Neymar scored after 12 minutes.
Mbappe added a second 16 minutes later, and although Terem Moffi pulled one back after the interval, PSG s star France forward restored his side s two-goal advantage with 23 minutes remaining.
Messi halted his seven-game scoring drought before Neymar collected his second of the night, with Mbappe playing a part in all five of the hosts goals as PSG maintained their 12-point lead over second-placed Marseille. This was the first game in which the three superstars had all scored for the Paris giants.
Danilo Pereira headed over from Neymar s corner in the opening exchanges, and PSG took the lead shortly after.
Intricate play between Messi and Mbappe allowed the latter to find Neymar to apply the finish into the bottom-left corner.
Messi volleyed an ambitious first-time effort over, before Mbappe brilliantly wrong-footed the unsighted Matthieu Dreyer after Idrissa Gueye s offload to double PSG s lead.
Enzo Le Fee curled narrowly wide after the break as Christophe Pelissier s visitors appeared reinvigorated, and their reward arrived when Moffi poked a wayward Achraf Hakimi pass past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
But Mbappe curtailed Lorient s hopes of a comeback when he expertly drilled into the bottom-left corner from outside the area following Hakimi s offload.
Mbappe turned creator six minutes later when he cut the ball back for Messi from the byline, and the Argentina star finished off the underside of the crossbar..
Neymar grabbed his second in the closing stages as Mbappe fed the Brazil international, who slotted past Dreyer to cap a fine victory.
What does it mean? Home comforts continue for PSG
PSG have won 14 of their 15 Ligue 1 home matches this campaign, the highest tally in Europe s top-five leagues (Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1). They are one of three teams from those competitions to remain unbeaten on home soil in 2021-22 league action – along with Liverpool and Sevilla.
Pochettino s side defended their near-perfect Parc des Princes record as they registered a sixth straight home victory against Lorient to move closer to lifting the title.
Neymar nuggets deserve acclaim
Only Pauleta (130) and Edinson Cavani (138) have scored more times in Ligue 1 since January 1, 2001 than Mbappe (124), who will take all the plaudits for his two goals and three assists.
But Neymar s efforts should not go unnoticed given he found the net twice and laid on a game-high five chances in a scintillating creative display.
Miserable Messi spell ends
Messi had failed to score in his last seven games across all competitions for PSG, his longest drought at club level since a run of seven between February and April 2008 with Barcelona.
However, the Argentina captain delivered a trademark finish into past Dreyer to end that dry spell as all three of Pochettino s star attackers came good in front of goal.
What s next?
PSG travel to Clermont in their next Ligue 1 outing on Saturday, while Lorient host Saint-Etienne the day before.
