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Rampant Liverpool demolish Arsenal, Messi scores first Ligue 1 goal

LIVERPOOL bounced back from their defeat to West Ham with a 4-0 pounding of Arsenal at Anfield on Saturday night.

Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Takumi Minamino netted to end Arsenal’s eight-match unbeaten run.

Senegalese star Mane headed Liverpool into the lead in the 39th minute against a spirited Arsenal side.

Arsenal were competitive in the first half, but they fell apart after the break.

Jota increased Liverpool’s lead seven minutes into the second half, before Salah scored on the breakaway in the 73rd minute to take his league goals tally to 11 in 12 games.

Substitute Minamino scored with his first touch in the 77th minute as Liverpool moved up to second place in the table with 25 points, four behind leaders Chelsea.

Arsenal are fifth with 20 points.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi scored his first goal in Ligue 1 also on Saturday as 10-man Paris Saint-Germain defeated Nantes 3-1 to move 13 points clear at the top of the table.

Messi curled home left-footed from 20 yards three minutes from time to finally get off the mark in Ligue 1 since this summer’s move from Barcelona.

The Argentine superstar has scored thrice in the UEFA Champions League for PSG but had not found the net in five Ligue 1 appearances.

Kylian Mbappe had given PSG an early lead but the hosts were reduced to 10 men when goalkeeper Keylor Navas fouled Ludovic Blas.

Nantes equalised through Randal Kolo Muani’s backheel but Dennis Appiah’s freak own goal and Messi’s shot won the points for PSG.

The victory was Mauricio Pochettino’s 12th in 14 league games.

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