Dilane Bakwa's fourth-minute goal gave Lille a 1-0 win over bottom club Le Havre at Stade Pierre-Mauroy and sent Davide Ancelotti's side to the top of Ligue 1, at least until Monaco hosted Toulouse later on Saturday. Le Havre had more of the ball and more of the chances, and finished with 10 men after Ayumu Seko was sent off.
Match facts
- Result: Lille 1-0 Le Havre (half-time 1-0)
- Competition: Ligue 1, Matchday 6
- Venue: Decathlon Arena - Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq
- Scorers: Lille - Bakwa 4'
- Red cards: Ayumu Seko (Le Havre) 60'
- Next: Arsenal v Lille, UEFA Champions League, Tuesday 13 October
How the match unfolded
Lille struck early. In the fourth minute Tanguy Nianzou, making his first appearance of the season, hit a long pass from his own half over the Le Havre defence. Bakwa, on loan from Nottingham Forest, timed his run to stay onside, controlled the ball and curled a left-footed finish past Le Havre goalkeeper Gallon.
The goal did not settle the home side. Le Havre took control, and Josh Maja wasted two good openings soon afterwards. Lille were also shaken by an injury to Tiago Santos, who was hurt by a mistimed tackle from Amir Richardson. The defender was carried off on a stretcher with a knee injury and replaced by Maxima Goffi in the 21st minute.
Mbwana Samatta drove through the middle and shot over before the break. Lille's only other clear chance of the half came when Maurits Kjærgaard could not turn in a Bakwa cross.
Le Havre kept up the pressure after half-time, and Samatta headed just over. In the 56th minute Ancelotti brought on Hákon Haraldsson and Ayase Ueda for Gaëtan Perrin and Olivier Giroud, and the change soon paid off. Four minutes later Haraldsson broke clear through the middle and was held back by Seko, and the Japanese defender was shown a straight red card in the 60th minute.
With an extra man, Lille finally had control of the game. In the 77th minute Nabil Bentaleb's long-range left-footed free-kick hit the angle of post and crossbar. Referee Bastien Dechepy then pointed to the spot when Bakwa went down in the box, but changed his decision because the winger had been offside.
Le Havre's first shot on target did not come until the 86th minute, when Ebonog's effort was held by Berke Özer. Lille saw out two minutes of stoppage time for the win.
What the win means
Lille move on to 13 points from six matches. Before the international break they had lost 2-1 at Nice. Their attacking display was flat: Maxifoot's match data shows five Lille shots, one on target, against 17 from Le Havre.
Le Havre stay bottom with two points and are still looking for their first win of the season, with two draws and four defeats.
What comes next
Lille travel to London to face Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday (20:00 UK).