In a largely uneventful opening to the match, the main talking point was Monaco’s early goalkeeper substitution, with Philipp Kohn brought on after only 12 minutes to replace the injured Lukas Hradecky.
The first clear-cut opportunity of the game fell to the visitors when Afonso Moreira’s disappointing 12-yard effort forced a routine save from Kohn after Lyon hit Monaco on the counter-attack.
Things went from bad to worse on the injury front for Sebastien Pocognoli’s side as Christian Mawissa picked up a knock and was brought off for Kassoum Ouattara.
Lyon were then able to seize the initiative as the first half progressed and they took the lead in the 38th minute through Pavel Sulc, as he steered the ball home following Nicolas Tagliafico’s glancing header in the box from a corner.
However, with the interval on the horizon, the hosts grabbed an unorthodox equaliser in first-half stoppage time, as Mamadou Coulibaly capitalised on miscommunication between the Lyon goalkeeper and his defence to net his second Ligue 1 goal of the season.
Controversy struck early on in the second half as Monaco thought they had taken the lead for the first time in the game after 52 minutes when Thilo Kehrer’s header found the back of the net following a corner.
However, the referee disallowed the goal immediately for a foul in the build-up and stuck with his original decision even after being asked to check his video monitor.
To rub further salt into the hosts’ wounds, Lyon edged back in front shortly before the hour mark thanks to Sulc’s wonderful finish from 25 yards out.
With 20 minutes remaining, Monaco went down to 10 men and could have absolutely no complaints after Coulibaly’s high foot struck the face of Tagliafico, resulting in a straight red card.
Armed with a numerical advantage, Lyon proceeded to kill the game off after 79 minutes when Abner Vinicius’ composed finish was easily slotted past Kohn to make it 3-1.
After collecting a much-needed victory on the road, Paulo Fonseca’s side remain in fifth position in Ligue 1, but closed the gap on fourth-placed LOSC Lille to two points.
Meanwhile, a third consecutive league defeat for Monaco leaves them in ninth, as they must now switch their attention to the Coupe de France next weekend.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Nicolas Tagliafico (Olympique Lyonnais)
