Jonathan David insisted title challengers Lille were "putting no pressure on ourselves" after his late goal defeated Reims on Sunday to take his club second in the Ligue 1 Uber Eats table, level on points with leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Lille were poised to have to settle for a point in the Round 20 encounter at the Stade Pierre Mauroy after Jonathan Bamba's second-half goal had cancelled out Arber Zeneli's strike for the visitors before the break.
But when Reims goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic parried a Xeka drive in added time, David reacted quickest to poke the loose ball under the Serbian stopper for his third league goal of the season.
It takes the 2018/19 runners-up onto 42 points after 20 matches, a tally they have not bettered since 1950 and which means they are only behind PSG on goal difference.
WATCH: Jonathan David grabs late win for Lille against Reims
The pair are now two points clear of Lyon, beaten by Metz late on Sunday, not that there is any talk of the title in the Lille dressing room.
"We came back from 1-0 down, it's a very important win to stay near the top of the table. We really wanted it," the Canada international, who joined Lille from Gent in the summer, told Canal+.
"When we equalised, we felt we could get the win and that's what we tried to do. We battled to the end. As a forward, you always want to score, that's our job, that's why we're in the team.
"We're not saying to ourselves that we're playing for the title. We try to win as many matches as possible to see where we might be come the end of the season. We're not putting pressure on ourselves. We're playing to win, that's all."
