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Following every round of Ligue 1 fixtures, Pulse Sports presents the most impressive performers of the matchday.
Olympique Lyon’s stunning 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday night saw Christophe Galtier’s troops suffer successive home defeats in the competition, thus potentially reopening the title race.
Lens were beneficiaries of PSG’s slip-up, beating Europe-chasing Stade Rennais 1-0 on Saturday to close the gap to six points.
Following the conclusion of the 29th gameweek in the French topflight, we pick out the weekend's best performers.
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Goalkeeper
Yehvann Diouf (Reims)
The Stade de Reims shot-stopper made a series of commendable stops in a 3-0 triumph at Nantes — thwarting Moses Simon from point-blank range and parrying a goal-bound Florent Mollet strike from just outside the area.
Those saves preceded Will Still’s side netting two before the break before adding another after the interlude.
Diouf has kept four successive clean sheets away from home.
Defenders
Kenny Lala (Brest)
Relegation-threatened Brest got three vital points in a 3-1 success over Toulouse at Stade Francis-Le Ble.
Lala shone not only defensively by recovering possession multiple times and getting stuck in where necessary, but the right-back was positive with the ball at his feet, completing eight passes into the final third and impressing with his passing range.
Eric Roy’s 15th-placed side leapfrogged Strasbourg, although they are only a point above the drop zone.
Sinaly Diomade (Lyon)
Lyon’s 1-0 success over PSG saw the Parisians lose successive home games without scoring for the first time since the 2011-12 season, and the centre-back’s outstanding showing was pivotal to Laurent Blanc’s side.
Despite letting Kylian Mbappe in one occasion after the Frenchman and Lionel Messi combined, Diomade broadly contained the menacing forward’s threat.
It was noteworthy that the 21-year-old won every tackle he attempted (five), made four interceptions and recovered possession six times.
Alexsandro Ribeiro (Lille)
The Brazilian centre-back won the most duels (nine) in Lille’s 3-1 success over Lorient that saw the home side supplant Rennes to move into the final European spot available.
Ribeiro’s passing range and ball progression meant he was trusted by his teammates to aid the team’s build-up. The 28-year-old even showcased some of that Brazilian flair by carrying the ball and going past opponents, completing four dribbles which outdid everyone else.
Neto Borges (Clermont)
Borges was another Brazilian that flourished over the weekend, this time from left-back in Clermont's 2-1 win against Ajaccio.
The wide defender completed more dribbles (six) than every player on the pitch and won a staggering 19 duels.
The left-back perhaps importantly won the first of two penalties converted by Grejohn Kyei in the comeback victory.
Midfielders
Pierre Lees-Melou (Brest)
Despite not getting on the ball as often as expected in Brest’s 3-1 triumph over Toulouse, Lees-Melou’s penchant for being the first to loose balls was beneficial to the home side.
Indeed, it was no surprise he won six of seven ground duels contested in the victory.
The Frenchman was no slouch in possession, even if he got minimal touches, playing the ball forward when he had the opening.
Angel Gomes (Lille)
Gomes was instrumental to Lille’s dramatic victory over Lorient, setting up two goals as the hosts moved into fifth place.
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The pick of the pair was the first, where he slipped Remy Cabella through, and the Frenchman took advantage of the promising situation.
With those two assists, the Englishman has set up six goals in Ligue 1 this season.
Khephren Thuram-Uliem (Nice)
Nice’s latest draw at Angers means the Eaglets have played out stalemates in their last four in Ligue 1.
Be that as it may, Thuram-Uliem’s positive midfield display should be commended. The 22-year-old outdid the park for chances created and dribbles completed, while it was striking that he looked to play positive passes for the game’s entirety.
Nice are seven points off a European spot, but Thuram-Uliem’s performance was the one positive from another disappointing draw.
Forwards
Franck Honorat (Brest)
Having fallen behind to an early Thijs Dallinga strike, Honorat’s deliveries from dead balls proved pivotal to the turnaround that saw Brest defeat Toulouse, with all of the home side’s goals coming from set-pieces.
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The wide attacker set up a bullet of a header for Jeremy Le Douaron in the 63rd minute to make it 2-1 before repeating the trick with a well-weighted free-kick that found Mehdi Camara in the game’s closing stages.
Alexis Flips (Reims)
While Diouf’s saves prevented Reims from going behind early, Flips’s first-half brace inside a minute was instrumental in taking the game away from Nantes in the eventual 3-0 success.
The first was curled home from close range after a fortunate ricochet inside the penalty area, while the second was clinically dispatched following Folarin Balogun’s pass.
Will Still’s men are six points off Lille in fifth.
Ikoma Lois Openda (Lens)
While PSG remain favourites for another Ligue 1 title, the chasing pack can keep them honest by getting results to test the leading side’s mettle.
Lens did just that with a 1-0 success at Rennes on Saturday due to a well-directed Openda header that gave Steve Mandanda no chance of saving.
The upshot of Franck Haise’s men securing three wins on the trot means they are now six points adrift of PSG, whom they face in a fortnight after the Parisians travel to Nice in the next round.
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