Memphis Depay got his Lyon account up and running as he came off the bench to score in a dominant win over Nancy.
After a bitter loss at archrival Saint-Etienne over the weekend, Lyon vented its frustration on struggling Nancy with a
convincing win.
The result ended a three-game losing run in all competitions for the seven-time champions and lifted them to fourth place, four points clear of Saint-Etienne with one match in hand.
Lyon supporters unfurled banners criticising the lack of ambition from players and officials before kick-off.
Bruno Genesio’s players got the message although they missed a golden opportunity to break the deadlock after Mathieu Valbuena set up Maxwell Cornet in the area with an inspired pass in the 17th minute.
Cornet got past a defender but completely missed his left-foot shot.
Striker Alexandre Lacazette was more accurate near the half-hour mark when he connected with a cut-back from Nabil Fekir, only to see his shot in front an open goal cleared by a Nancy player.
Just as he was about to be replaced by Memphis Depay because of an apparent leg injury, Valbuena made the most of his last moments on the pitch.
Having collected the ball on the left side of the box, the France midfielder curled a beautiful shot into the opposite corner, giving keeper Sergey Chernik no chance.
Fekir then made it 2-0 with a fine chip over Chernik after playing a one-two with Lacazette.
Lyon put the game away in the 54th minute after being awarded what looked like a soft penalty for a challenge on Depay in the box.
Lacazette converted the spot-kick with a shot to the right of Chernik and Depay completed the rout with his first goal since joining from Manchester United.
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