Lyon secured their 1,000th Ligue 1 victory, becoming only the fifth club to achieve the feat, with an impressive 3-0 win over Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome to boost their hopes of European qualification.
Chances were at a premium in the opening exchanges, with Lyon only managing tame efforts from Arkadiusz Milik and Lucas Paquetá in the opening 20 minutes. Milik had a better opportunity to break the deadlock after reacting to a superb pass from Dimitri Payet, but fired his shot over the bar following some fine defensive pressure from Castello Lukeba. The Poland international endured a frustrating first half, epitomised by an effort he skewed over the bar following some excellent build-up play involving Payet and Gerson. ‘Les Phocéens’ were also left to bemoan a penalty appeal that was turned down following a VAR review, as Moussa Dembélé was deemed not to have illegally handled the ball inside the box – much to the disgust of Jorge Sampaoli, who received a yellow card for his protests.
Lukeba silenced the majority of the crowd by prodding in the opening goal of this edgy contest after Emerson’s free-kick had deflected into the defender’s path. The strike was followed by complaints from Marseille shot-stopper Pau López, who voiced his discontent given Dembélé had stepped on his arm in the build-up to the goal. Plenty of tension bubbled under the surface, reaching boiling point after Payet’s free-kick was saved by Lopes. The former West Ham man chased down the loose ball and tumbled to the ground after being struck in the face by Thiago Mendes, sparking a mini-fracas. Lyon struck a hammer blow when Dembélé headered Malo Gusto’s cross beyond López between the Marseille sticks at the end of a superb break from the visitors.
There was still time for a third from Bosz’s men, who extended their advantage when Karl Toko Ekambi brilliantly met Tetê’s cross at the far post to finish off a lethal counter-attack. The result sees Lyon move within five points of fifth-placed Nice, while Marseille’s own hopes of cementing second spot and a guaranteed place in next season’s Champions League group stages received a setback.
