Lille cut Paris St Germain’s Ligue 1 lead to two points on Sunday after second-half goals from Jonathan David and Yusuf Yazici gave the northerners a 2-1 home victory over Monaco.
Christophe Galtier’s side have now lost only one competitive game this season, and they have already qualified for the Europa League last 32.
They now have 26 points from 13 games in Ligue 1 and are ahead of Olympique Lyonnais on goal difference after the third-placed team snatched a 3-1 victory at Metz.
Olympique de Marseille, who have two games in hand, are two points adrift in a table where the top six teams are within five points of each other.
Monaco, who had won their last four games, reduced the arrears in the last minute through Pietro Pellegri but drop to fifth in the table on 23 points.
The opening half at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium did not live up to expectations, with Lille creating only a couple of half chances through Jonathan Bamba.
But the side stepped up a gear after the break, and they were rewarded in the 53rd minute when David was found unmarked by Jonathan Ikone and chipped the ball past Vito Mannone.
Niko Kovacs made two changes, bringing in Cesc Fabregas for Wissam Ben Yedder and Fode Ballo Toure for Caio Henrique but to no effect.
Galtier’s substitution of David by Yazici in the 62nd was on the other hand productive, as the Turkish striker doubled the home side’s advantage three minutes later from Burak Yilmaz’s pass at the end of a quick counterattack.
Monaco only replied in the final minute, with Pellegri chesting down the ball before firing home from Fabregas’s pass, but it was too little too late.
Lyon were also impressive as Karl Toko-Ekambi, who has now netted or set up his team’s last six goals, claimed a double and had an assist at Metz.
Memphis Depay opened the scoring from the Cameroon forward’s pass in the 17th minute.
Toko-Ekambi doubled the tally with a powerful shot that went under the bar before adding the third at the hour with a clinical shot after collecting Paqueta’s pass.
Lyon were down to 10 men in stoppage time after Rayan Cherki picked up a red card from stepping onto Alexandre Oukidja’s knee.
Farid Boulaya pulled one back in the 75th minute for Metz, who are left in 13th place on 16 points after also finishing with 10 men when John Boye was shown a straight red card for hitting Marcelo in the face.
