36 points, top of the pile: Lyon jump Nantes after 17
A 1-0 win over Monaco and Rennes' 3-1 humbling of PSG put Lyon top, while Nantes' goalless draw with Troyes cost them the lead.
36 points. That is what Lyon have after 17 games, and it is enough to put them top of Ligue 1 Uber Eats for the first time this season. The 1-0 win over Monaco, combined with Nantes' goalless draw at home to Troyes, has flipped the table. Lyon lead by a point.
It was not a classic, but it did the job. A single goal, and the three points stayed in Lyon. You could feel the tension lift when the ball hit the net, and the roar from the stands said it all. Lyon have won 11, drawn 3 and lost 3, with a goal difference of plus 26. That is the best in the league, and it is the kind of number that wins titles.
Nantes will be kicking themselves. A 0-0 at home to Troyes is two points dropped, and they have now won 10, drawn 5 and lost 2. They are still unbeaten at home, but this was a chance to stay clear. Instead, they are second, a point behind Lyon, and the pressure shifts.
Elsewhere, Rennes turned on the style to beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-1. PSG have been stuttering, and this defeat leaves them fifth, eight points off the top. They have won 8, drawn 4 and lost 5, a goal difference of just plus 3. For a club of their means, that is not good enough. The home crowd loved it, and who can blame them?
Lille beat Nîmes 2-1, and Strasbourg won 2-1 at home to Dijon. Strasbourg's win moves them up to 17th, two points behind Caen, who have a game in hand. Dijon are bottom, on 7 points from 17 games. They have won just once all season, and it is hard to see where the next win comes from.
At the top, Lyon are in the driving seat, but the race is far from over. Nice are third on 32 points from 16 games, and Marseille fourth on 29 from 16. Both have games in hand, and both will fancy their chances. Lyon's next test is to hold their nerve.
The title run that ended in 2060/61 is a memory now, but the hunger remains. This is a club that knows how to win, and they are showing it again. The seven-in-a-row days may be gone, but the swagger is back. Lyon are top, and they mean to stay there.