Mike Maignan saved a penalty as Burak Yilmaz's second-half goal and Zeki Celik's late strike gave a below-par Lille a hard-fought 2-0 win at Metz to lift the league leaders six points clear of their fellow title challengers on Friday.
THE MATCH
Lille had a three-point advantage in hand on second-placed Paris Saint-Germain following last weekend's victory over the reigning French champions, and against a Metz side winless in four top-flight outings, Christophe Galtier's men were strong favourites to pick up an eighth victory in 11 trips to Lorraine and up the pressure on the teams behind them.
Things didn't start well though. There were not even 15 minutes on the clock when — after a Metz free-kick had ricocheted into his path off the wall — John Boye fired a shot goalwards, and the ball struck Jose Fonte en route. VAR was required to help referee Clément Turpin decide it had hit the Portugal international's arm, and he pointed to the spot.
Lille boast the best defence in the league and Maignan is a major reason for that — the France international saved his side again as Aaron Leya Iseka stepped up to take the penalty only for Maignan to move swiftly to his left and push out his spot-kick (17').
Fabien Centonze sent a shot narrowly wide (28') as the hosts sought to make amends; Celik, back in the visitors' starting XI after a bout of COVID-19, produced Lille's first moment of danger when his shot from distance brought a save from Alexandre Oukidja (40').
Farid Boulaya teed up Leya Iseka, who again tested Maignan (50') as Metz picked up where they left off after the interval, and Lille struggled to get into their stride. They would have been knocked out of it even more if Pape Sarr's shot — after taking a deflection off Sven Botman — had found the net instead of striking a post (52').
Maignan again got the rub of the green when he pushed out Boulaya's shot and saw Lamine Gueye mishit the rebound sufficiently to allow the Lille 'keeper to get back in position to block (58').
Just as against PSG last weekend, Lille struck against the run of play. Renato Sanches played the perfect through ball for Yilmaz, who smashed his shot beyond Oukidja (60'). The Turkey international, who was making only his second league start since early January, racked up a tenth top-flight strike of the campaign.
The margin of victory was made more impressive if slightly flattering by Celik's goal from substitute Domogoj Bradaric's ball a minute from time as Lille inched closer to their first top-flight title since 2010/11.
THE PLAYER: Burak Yilmaz
The 35-year-old has been a revelation in his first season in France. With Jonathan David sidelined by an ankle injury, Lille needed their bulldozer of a forward to refind the form he had shown before the calf injury that had laid him low for nine league matches. He might have scored against PSG, this time he did.
THE STAT: 15
Lille have not conceded a goal in 15 of their 16 away matches in Ligue 1 Uber Eats this season.
