Heading into their colossal Ligue 1 clash with Olympique Lyonnais, AS Monaco hadn’t won any of their last four matches against Les Gones. Les Monegasques made sure the streak was ended emphatically, however, by enjoying an outstanding 2-0 win at the Stade Louis II.
The Match
Getting off to a perfect start, Jean Lucas gave Monaco the lead inside two minutes following a lovely assist from Wissam Ben Yedder.
Keeping up the momentum, Philippe Clement’s men continued to create chances at will and carve open the Lyon backline. It was unsurprising then that Monaco grabbed a second in the 27th minute through Ben Yedder, who applied a sublime chipped finish to Sofiane Diop’s incisive set up.
Taking a deserved two goal lead into half time, Lyon knew they had it all to do if they were to mount a comeback. Showing their ambition by bringing on the gifted trio of Rayan Cherki, Tanguy Ndombele and Romain Faivre, Lyon hoped this would be the catalyst for them to get back into the game.
Although Peter Bosz’s team were much improved and controlled possession in the second half, Monaco’s defence held firm to keep out Lyon on their way to claiming a vital three points and a valuable clean sheet.
Diop’s debrief
Fresh from another excellent outing, Diop offered his insights on Monaco’s win, with him clearly delighted to help his team obtain this significant result.
“The goal tonight was to win. We did not think about the defeat in the reverse fixture, the idea was above all to resume our march up the table. We had very specific instructions from the coach, and the things were done with great success. We can savour the moment, but there is a match that will come very quickly on Tuesday evening against Amiens in the Coupe de France,” he explained.
“Obviously, we wanted to dictate the rhythm of the match, impose ourselves physically and technically. We didn’t concede, which is very important for the whole team, and we made two good goals. It was a perfect evening.
Ben Yedder’s Brilliance
Aside from scoring a terrific goal and supplying a super assist, Ben Yedder’s intelligent movement, understanding with his teammates, all-round quality in possession and defensive efforts ensured he put in a man of the match performance.
By the numbers, his five key passes, two shots and two won headers further demonstrated his incredible impact.
In absolutely scintillating form and having now bagged seven goals in his last five matches, it’s been a joy watching the man who tops the Ligue 1 scoring charts (on 14) firing on all cylinders.
Key Stat
Despite Lyon having 64% of possession and striking nine more shots, the fact Monaco bettered them in terms of Expected Goals (2.36 to 1.66) showed just how lethal they were going forward, which was ultimately the difference between the two sides.
Up next
Now on a two match winning run after recording exceptional wins over Lens and Lyon, Monaco will be looking to make it three in a row when they take on Amiens in the quarter finals of the Coupe de France on Tuesday night.