David nets hat-trick as Lille and Lyon play out six-goal-thriller
With Lyon’s narrow victory in the reverse fixture earlier this season being Lille’s only defeat in the last 12 meetings, the hosts aimed to take retribution with early pressure.
But their intention to push men forward almost backfired following a quick counterattack, where Bradley Barcola’s one-on-one effort was well saved by Lucas Chevalier.
Laurent Blanc’s reaction said it all, knowing his side needed to take their chances, especially considering his side were winless in their last six away league games against current top-half teams.
Lille soon gained a foothold and strengthened their bid to draw first blood, coming close via Jonathan Bamba’s strike from a tight angle, before Angel Gomes let fly from outside the box – both of which Remy Riou dealt with well to keep the scores level going into the break.
Les Gones were put to the sword immediately after the restart and conceded less than a minute into the second period.
An exceptional team effort which saw Bamba feed Jonathan David for a tap-in, as the Canadian netted for a sixth successive match in all competitions.
On the hour mark, Lyon’s evening got worse as they conceded a penalty following a cynical challenge by Rayan Cherki.
David stepped up to take responsibility and calmly slotted home from 12 yards to further dampen the visitors’ hopes of comeback.
Yet, not all hope was lost, as Barcola halved Lille’s lead with a rebound shot just as Blanc looked set to introduce talisman Lacazette on.
His substitution was one perhaps marked with mixed feelings for the Lyon coach, as the ex-Arsenal forward first gave away an unfortunate penalty, which David comfortably converted to register his hat-trick.
Moments later though, Lacazette went some way to redeeming himself by heading home Lyon’s second of the night and reducing their arrears.
The Frenchman wasn’t finished there, as he struck into the top corner in the 89th minute to stun the home crowd and cap off a remarkable turnaround.
With Lyon riding a wave of momentum, they looked the more likely winners until they conceded a third penalty of the night deep into stoppage time, only for referee Benoit Bastien to overturn it after a VAR review.
A breathtaking six-goal second half does little for either side’s European aspirations, with Lille missing the chance to move into the top-six, while Lyon trail them by six points.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jonathan David (Lille)