Messi the architect as PSG beat Angers

Paris Saint-Germain weren't at the best against Angers, but they did enough to get back to winning ways in Ligue 1 with a 2-0 victory. After second-place Lens drew at Strasbourg, the champions increase their lead to six points.

During the warm-up, PSG's stars wore t-shirts paying tribute to the late Brazilian legend Pele. The shirts bore his image as well as the words "eternal" and "king" in Portuguese.

Less than five minutes after the game got underway, it was a piece of Lionel Messi magic that helped open the scoring in Paris when the Argentine star drew several defenders to him before releasing Nordi Mukiele down the right. The French wing-back then centred for 20-year-old striker Hugo Ekitike to turn home.

PSG continued to dominate in the second half, with Angers keen to offer resistance but unable to sustain meaningful attacking plays. The second goal would come through the same three players combining as did for the first.

This time Messi flicked the ball to Ekitike, who took a touch and steered it out to Mukiele whose first-time pass was perfectly weighted for Messi who had continued his vertical run towards goal. One touch with his left then a quick finish with his right, then a VAR check before a goal was awarded.

Next up for the Ligue 1 leaders is a trip to fourth-place Rennes on Saturday. Angers, meanwhile, remain bottom of the table and host ninth-place Clermont Foot on Sunday.