Moussa Dembélé's first-half penalty was enough to give Lyon a 1-0 win at Troyes on Sunday and ease the pressure on the faltering seven-time Ligue 1 Uber Eats champions.
THE MATCH
With just four points and no wins from their last five league games, Lyon travelled to the Champagne region in the hope of making Troyes' first game of 2022 — and the debut of the hosts' new coach Bruno Irles — a miserable one.
Lucas Paqueta's sizzling form has been one rare constant for an inconsistent OL this season, and the Brazil international brought the first significant save of the game from Gauthier Gallon (29') with a first-time strike teed up by compatriot Bruno Guimaraes.
If that was a warning shot across the bows, the visitors' next found its target. Erik Palmer-Brown's handball was confirmed by VAR, and Dembélé sent Gallon the wrong way from the spot (33').
The ex-Celtic striker's fifth league goal of the season — and his first in Ligue 1 Uber Eats since 12 September — would have been added to by Paqueta but for Gallon, who turned away the Lyon man's stinging effort after Bruno Guimaraes had once again provided the final pass (41').
Gallon also raced out of his goal to smother at the feet of Dembélé (44') as the visitors sought to give themselves some breathing space to further their ambition of winning only a second league match on their travels in their last eight trips.
A rousing finale to the first half saw Léo Dubois smash a shot off a post (45'), but on their return to the pitch, Peter Bosz's men were more cautious as they sought to protect — rather than augment — their fragile advantage.
Home debutant Abdu Conté was one of the game's stand-out performers, but he raised the pulses of the reduced crowd in the Stade de l'Aube when he brought down Bruno Guimaraes in the box — referee Jérôme Brisard waved away Lyon's impassioned penalty appeals (70').
Troyes created little, but as long as they were just a single goal in arrears, they had hope. Palmer-Brown had a chance to atone for his earlier mistake, but headed a Florian Tardieu corner over the bar (80').
Xherdan Shaqiri came off the bench — replacing Houssem Aouar (65') — and brought another save from Gallon with a smart free-kick as Lyon, who had dropped a whopping 11 points in the closing 15 minutes of league games this season, held on for a morale-boosting triumph.
THE PLAYER: Lucas Paqueta
Though Dembélé got the goal, the ex-AC Milan midfielder was once again Lyon's most influential performer. But for Gallon, he would have made the 90 minutes a lot more comfortable for the visitors.
THE STAT: 8
Lyon's first league win since 28 November 2021 was their eighth successive victory over Troyes in the top flight. The hosts can take some consolation from the fact they had previously conceded an average of more than three goals in the preceding seven meetings.
Elsewhere, Ibrahima Niane's second-half goal was enough to give Metz a 1-0 win at Reims. Frédéric Antonetti's men have now won two and lost just one of their last four league games to move themselves two points clear of the bottom three.
Monaco moved to within three points of third-placed Marseille ahead of OM's home game with Lille later on Sunday thanks to thumping 4-0 defeat of Clermont. Wissam ben Yedder came off the bench to score two of the hosts' three second-half goals to earn new boss Philippe Clement his maiden French top-flight win.
Strasbourg are just a point behind the principality club with a 3-1 win over Montpellier. Florent Mollet's 11th-minute strike for the visitors looked as if it might give them all three points, but after Elye Wahi was sent off (66'), the match turned decisively in the hosts' favour with Majeed Waris, Adrien Thomasson and Kevin Gameiro all scoring in a nine-minute burst in the game's final 13 minutes.
Lorient remain in relegation trouble as they were held to a goalless draw at home by Angers — Christophe Pelissier's men have now not won in 13 league games.
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