Lyonnais 2 : 0 Metz - Lyon move four clear at the top

Posted Sunday, January 25, 2015 by PA

Lyon moved four points clear at the top of Ligue 1 with a 2-0 victory over lowly Metz at Stade de Gerland on Sunday.

Hubert Fournier's leaders extended their winning run to seven league matches thanks to goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso, although it may have come at a cost with Lacazette forced off through injury.

The defeat leaves Albert Cartier's Metz struggling in the relegation zone after a disappointing run of 10 league matches without victory.

With the carrot of moving four points clear at the top of the table, Lyon began the game strongly and went agonisingly close to opening their account just after the quarter-hour mark.

Firstly Nabil Fekir was unlucky not to score when he saw his seemingly goal-bound effort blocked by team-mate Rachid Ghezzal.

Then, after keeping the ball alive, the in-form Lacazette picked out the unmarked Christophe Jallet at the back post but, with the goal at his mercy, the former Paris St Germain man failed to find the target from close range.

Fornier's side did not have to wait much longer to reap reward for their early efforts when Ghezzal went down under a challenge from Guido Milan inside the area and referee Olivier Thual pointed at the spot before giving the Metz defender his marching orders for a professional foul.

Lacazette took charge and stuttered his run up before sending Johan Carrasso the wrong way with a confident finish for his 24th goal of the season in as many games.

The France international's afternoon was cut short after 34 minutes though when he was forced off with a suspected hamstring injury and Maxwel Cornet came on for his Lyon debut against the club he signed from earlier in the week.

Les Gones continued to dominate after the break and Cornet went close to a debut goal, heading Fekir's corner just over the bar, before Jordan Ferri and Ghezzal both found the target with efforts that failed to beat Carrasso.

As time wore on, Lyon coach Fournier looked less and less comfortable with just the one goal lead.

But - with less than 10 minutes to play - Tolisso helped his boss breath a huge sigh of relief when he latched onto Yoann Gourcuff's pass before guiding a perfectly-hit 20-yard effort into the bottom corner.