Lille went into tonight's clash seeking three points to send them comfortably above Saint-Etienne into third place in Ligue 1, with Rene Girard's men looking to strengthen their Champions League ambitions.
The visitors also harbour European hopes, with Lyon looking to continue their impressive start to the year with a win that would place them above Marseille in fifth place.
In a first half of few chances, Lille thought they should've been awarded a penalty as Nolan Roux was the subject of a push from Samuel Umtiti inside the box.
Lyon had a good chance to take the lead after the break when Clement Grenier produced some fine skill to draw Vincent Enyeama from his goal, however Pape Souare positioned himself perfectly to clear off the line.
The hosts could have stole all three points with the final kick of the game, as Ronny Rodelin lashed the ball into the net, though the substitute was deemed to be offside by the linesman.
You can find out how all of the action developed by reading our minute-by-minute commentary below.
Good evening everyone and welcome to our live coverage as Lille take on Lyon in Ligue 1. Both sides are chasing a European finish, with Lille looking to reclaim third place with a victory, leaving them on course for Champions League qualification. Meanwhile, tonight's visitors are still in the hunt for either a Europa or Champions League finish, with a win tonight putting Lyon level on points with Marseille in fifth place.
Lille's hardwork could be undone tonight given Saint-Etienne's 2-0 victory over Bastia yesterday evening. The hosts will be looking for three points to push them back into third place.
Remi Garde's Lyon have managed to turn things around after a poor start to the season, with Lyonnais currently sitting in sixth place. They know that a victory tonight will realistically open up the chance of securing Europa League qualification, with the chance of a Champions League spot still an outside bet.
Some team news for you now...
Lille starting XI: Enyeama, Kjaer, Sidibe, Rozehnal, Souare, Balmont, Gueyes, Mavuba, Kalou, Roux, Origi
Lyon starting XI Lopes; Bedimo, Kone, Lopes, Umtiti, Fofana, Grenier, Ferri, Gonalons, Lacazette, Gomis
Lille substitutes: Elana, Soumaoro, Delaplace, Meite, Ruiz, Mendes, Rodelin
Lyon substitutes: Vercoutre, Sarr, Malbranque, Danic, Tolisso, Mvuemba, Briand
Plenty of attacking talent on show tonight for both sides. Lille call upon the services of creative men Salomon Kalou, Nolan Roux and Divock Origi. Lyon, meanwhile, feature the threats of Bafetimbi Gomis, Clement Grenier and Alexandre Lacazette.
The hosts come into tonight's game on the back of some rather concerning form for Rene Girard. Lille have picked up only one win their last six Ligue 1 games, having lost three and drawn two.
The visitors are in great form, in stark contrast to their opponents tonight, with Lyon notching five wins in their last six league games.
The sides played out a goalless draw when they met in September of last year. However, in the game prior to that one, Lille came out 3-1 victors away from home.
I'm fancying Lille to set things straight tonight and produce a winning result to put them back on course for Champions League qualification. They've got an array of attacking talent on show and things have been just a little too purple for Lyon since the start of 2014.
The hosts will want to be careful, though, as Lyon are playing some great football at the moment, with Gomis in particularly eye-catching form.
Lille have only won two games in nine since the start of the year, a rather startling statistic given their form in the first half of the season.
The teams are now lined up in the tunnel as we await their appearance on the pitch at the Stade Lille-Metropole.
Kalou will be looking to prove himself tonight, he's only notched seven goals this season, which is a tad worrying when compared to some of Lyon's attacking threats. Lacazette, for example, has already tallied 13 this campaign.
Here we go then... Lyon get us underway, with the visitors in white kicking from right to left.
Rather tame start to the game. Lyon send the ball straight back to their defensive line as they look for some movement up front. Gomis offers it, but the lofted ball forwards is wayward and easily swept up by the Lille defence.
Grenier looks menacing already as he looks to shift the ball from the centre of the park out to the left. Souare's touch lets him down though and the ball runs out for a throw.
Lille are starting to grow into the game, shifting the ball around in neat triangles when they have possession. However, Lyon are pressing intensively and causing the hosts to throw away possession needlessly when looking for the final ball.
Grenier finds space for the visitors down on the left flank, he looks up to cross the ball for Gomis, but Kjaer does well to block the incoming delivery.
Lille win the first corner of the match as the industrious Balmont works his way down the left side of the pitch, he tries to deliver a cross into the box but the ball is cleared at the first attempt.
Lyon are starting to pull the strings from midfield. Grenier is fed the ball out wide on the right. Lopes makes a great run in behind the defence, but the through ball is cut out at the vital moment. Lopes is then penalised for an apparent foul on the defender. Odd one, really...
What a waste... Lyon win a free kick from 40 yards out, giving Grenier the chance to send a delivery into the box. However, his attempt evades everyone and trickles through to Enyeama. Poor.
No chances to speak of in this clash yet. Grenier is perhaps being given too much freedom out on the right, but he hasn't really managed to take advantage of the space being afforded to him.
Lots of neat passing from the visitors here, but nothing too incisive when going forward. Lille will be quite happy to watch their opponents knock it around like this.
CLOSE! Lille break away on the counter attack, with Roux attacking down the left. He beats the right-back for pace and drills a teasing ball into the box. However, Kone does well to read the game and clear the ball away from the near post.
With nothing much happening in the creative department for both sides, Balmont has a go from distance for Lille and it's not a bad effort. He connects well with the ball, but the shot flies straight into the arms of Lopes.
CLOSE! Roux goes close with a well-timed effort having shrugged off his marker. He pounds down on goal, before letting off a stinging effort, which flies just wide of the keeper's right post. Lopes didn't look comfy with that one.
Kone almost gifts Lille a chance as the ball is whipped into the Lyon box. The defender tries to clear, but the ball gets caught under his feet. Roux is looking to pounce, however the ball is cleared away by Umtiti.
Penalty shout! Roux leaps high in the box as he looks to get his head onto a delivery. He thinks he's pushed in the back by Umtiti, who also looks to have handled the ball. The referee, however, gives the decision the other way for a foul on the defender. That looked a stonewall penalty to me, Umtiti got off with that one.
Lille are starting to look more like the home side now. This time Kalou makes a good run in behind the defence, however Balmont's ball is a little too heavy and Lopes gathers with ease having come off his line to intercept.
Great play this time by Lyon as the ball is expertly played out to Lopes by Ferri. The youngster whips in a quick delivery towards the head of Gomis, but Rozehnal gets across to clear with his head.
As it stands, Roux and Balmont are the only two players to register anything near attempts on goal.
Lille have Lyon pinned down in the far corner of the pitch as Kalou hounds the defenders. He's able to make an interception, but the loses the ball straight away as Lyon regain possession.
YELLOW CARD! Djibril Sidibe (Lille)
YELLOW CARD! This looks like a dive from Gomis, who goes into the referee's book for simulation. The striker looks to have beaten Rozehnal, but then he throws himself to the ground and diverts his eyes straight towards the referee, who laughs and shows him a yellow.
CHANCE! Kalou tests Lopes with a header. The striker looks to make space before a free kick is delivered, the ball comes through to him, but his effort is tame and goes straight into the arms of the Lyon keeper in the centre of goal.
Great defending from Umtiti this time as he positions himself perfectly to head away a dangerous cross into the box, with Roux lurking just behind him.
HALF TIME: LILLE 0-0 LYON
Well, that was a tad dull. Lille won't be too displeased, though, as they've grown well into this encounter and look much the better side going into half time. That said, we've had only three proper attempts on goal in the first 45 minutes, with those all coming from the hosts.
The home side might feel a little hard done by too, given that strange decision by the referee against Roux. It looked as though the striker was certainly pushed in the back by Umtiti, who also looked to have touched the ball with his arm in his own box.
Lyon haven't offered much going forward. The visitors have worked it nicely in the centre of the pitch, though the final ball has often been far too wayward to cause any problems for Lille. Grenier has looked the most likely to create something having found space on the right and in the centre, but again his deliveries have been poor.
So who's going to take the game by the scruff of its neck in the second period? Both sides certainly have the talent on show to be able to do so... It's just a shame that they haven't shown much of it thus far.
I think both sides require somebody on the pitch capable of unlocking a defence. Most of the forward balls tonight have been lofted in behind, with neither team looking particularly incisive in the final third of the pitch.
Lille get us back underway here. Hopefully these teams offer up something better than they did in the first half.
And as I say that... Lyon break down the right with Fofana, who puts in a peach of a delivery towards Gomis, but the striker nods the ball narrowly wide of the goalkeeper's far post.
Gonalons gives away a free kick in a dangerous position having gone in late on Balmont, however Mavuba lashes the ball over the bar.
The teams seem to have already settled back into the rhythm of the first half. Lille are starting to look a little more dominant as they work the ball around the Lyon box.
Sidibe wins a corner for Lille as the full-back progresses down the right. He cuts the ball back, but it's cleared out of touch. From the resulting delivery, Rozehnal sees his header cleared off the line by Ferri.
Grenier winds up from distance as Lyon win a free kick around 35 yards out from goal. The midfielder steps up to lash an effort towards Enyeama, but he slips at the vital moment and the ball trickles through to the goalkeeper.
Penalty? Dive? Who knows.. The referee seems to. Roux goes down under pressure from a defender; at first it looks like a decent shout, but upon further inspection it seems like the striker went down a little too easily.
SAVE! Great save from Lopes to deny Roux, who comes to meet a drilled delivery headed for the back post. The goalkeeper spots the danger and dives out off his line to tip the ball away from the toes of the oncoming striker.
Lille are looking to impose themselves on Lyon now as the hosts go about their work with a little more ambition.
It's no surprise to learn that Balmont has a pass completion rate of 88 per cent so far this evening. He's probably been the most impressive player on the pitch tonight, with the midfielder looking to push Lille into the lead.
OFF THE LINE! A great first touch sees Grenier lift the ball over Rozehnal. As he advances Enyeama also comes off his line to challenge the midfielder, who then lifts the ball over him too. However, Souare positions himself perfectly to clear the ball off the line with his head.
SUBSTITUTION: Lille look to take the initiative as Mendes comes on in the place of Roux. A rather odd decision given that Roux has been one of the more impressive players on the pitch tonight.
Good work now from Lyon keeper Lopes now, who climbs above Kalou to claim the ball. He falls back onto the striker and the ball slips from his grasp. However, he reclaims it at the second attempt, before Kalou has chance to react.
SAVE! What a goal this would have been... Lacazette powers down the left flank for Lyon, but soon realises that there isn't an option in sight so the striker decides to have a go with the outside of his right boot. The ball swerves impressively and almost goes in at the near post, however Enyeama leaps up to tip the ball over the bar.
CHANCE! And another... Lopes probably makes the save of his career here. The ball drops to Origi just outside of the box, with the creative midfielder striking it first time towards goal. The ball dips and looks to be creeping under the bar, though Lopez gets up and tips the ball onto the crossbar.
SAVE! An exciting little period is developing now. Lille fail to clear their lines properly and the ball is fed to Lacazette, who lashes his effort straight at Enyeama. Lille then break away on the counter, however Kalou is far too greedy and sends his shot wide despite having options open to him.
Origi does his best to carve out an opening from the right hand side of the pitch. The midfielder beats his man, before sending his cross to the back post, though nobody gambles and the ball runs out for a goal kick.
So we head into the final 10 minutes of the game now, with both sides having had chances to take the lead. Lille are still the dominant side, though Lyon have had a great individual effort cleared off the line.
Gomis tries his luck from distance with all prospects of a winner fading fast. Neither side have really put together a well-worked chance, though we still have five minutes to go here...
Lille will still move into third place with a draw here, though it would mean they only sit one point above Saint-Etienne. I wouldn't be too surprised if they look to settle for a draw now.
YELLOW CARD! Florent Balmont (Lille)
Things are looking a little desperate going forward for both teams. Lille pump the ball forward this time, though Lopes reads it perfectly and comes to claim in comfort.
We're going to have three minutes of injury time...
CHANCE! Gomis breaks away on the counter having shrugged off two defenders. He slips the ball out wide to Lacazette in the box, however the goalkeeper comes off his line to make the slide tackle.
SO CLOSE! Rodelin thinks he's through on goal in behind the Lyon defence, he lashes the ball into the net only to see that the linesman has flagged for offside.
FULL TIME: Lille 0-0 Lyon
So it ends goalless... Perhaps a fair result given the balance of things. Lille dominated sections of the game, but never did enough to win it. Lyon might haven taken all three points had it not been for some good defending from Souare to clear off the line.
Lille won't be too disheartened with that result, as they still move back up into third place above Etienne. Lyon will have a lot of work to do if they're to gain European qualification come the end of the season, though Garde and his men would've known that long before this evening's clash. Goodnight all!
Written by
Christopher Dodd
Christopher Dodd
