With no spectators in attendance due to local weather issues, Lille were able to settle quickly and nearly scored in the sixth minute when Gaetan Perrin set up Félix Correia in the six-yard box, but the Portuguese winger hit it well wide of the left post.
Bruno Genesio’s side controlled the early stages, creating two more clear chances within the first 15 minutes, both for Matias Fernandez-Pardo. The Spaniard’s first attempt was saved by Herve Koffi, and his second, a header from the edge of the six-yard box, was glanced wide of the far post.
Les Dogues finally managed to break the resolve of the Angers defence late in the first half when they were awarded a penalty after Jordan Lefort fouled Tiago Santos. Olivier Giroud stepped up to take the spot-kick and fired it coolly into the bottom-right corner to score his first league goal since November.
Buoyed by taking the lead so late in the first half, the visitors were on the front foot from the restart as they looked to build on their one-goal advantage. They went agonisingly close with just under an hour played, with Giroud being picked out by a pinpoint cross by Calvin Verdonk, but Koffi made a phenomenal save to keep it out of the bottom corner.
Clear-cut chances were at a premium from there, with Lille happy to sit on their lead and Angers unable to break them down. Les Dogues saw Santos strike the bar late on, but despite that miss, they were able to see a win that lifts them back into Ligue 1’s top-five and build some momentum ahead of their UEFA Europa League game against Red Star Belgrade on Thursday. Meanwhile, Angers remain comfortably in mid-table despite suffering a second successive defeat without reply.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Benjamin Andre (Lille)
