Lyon registered their first win in a month as they returned to the top of the table and kept Sochaux in Ligue 1 relegation trouble today.

The hosts had to withstand a second-half fightback but nonetheless kept a clean sheet as Ederson’s 13th-minute goal and Anthony Mounier’s second-half strike went unanswered.

Lyon had the first good chance in the eighth minute when Kim Kallstrom’s corner found Ederson only for the Brazilian midfielder’s header to snake the wrong side of the post.

Ederson made no mistake five minutes later, though, when he volleyed his team in front – giving Sochaux goalkeeper Teddy Richert no chance.

Sochaux responded with a Vaclav Sverkos shot from distance which was turned round the post by Hugo Lloris.

Just after the half-hour, Nicolas Maurice-Belay’s free-kick went straight at Lloris.

Five minutes later, it was Richert who had to be alert again to keep out Kallstrom’s left-footed effort – and the Sochaux goalkeeper limited the lead again before half-time when he kept out defender Francois Clerc’s low shot from inside the area.

The visitors had most of the clear-cut openings in the second half – Mevlut Erdinc testing Lloris just five minutes in, Sverkos the one denied just after the hour and then a Stephane Dalmat free-kick kept out.

Yet it was Lyon who went further ahead in the 70th minute. Juninho crossed for a Mounier header at the far post, which was pushed back out by Richert only for the Tunisian forward to follow up and score from close range.

Sochaux had one more chance when Ryad Boudebouz’s free-kick found Erding – whose header was again well-saved by Lloris.

Lyon finished the stronger and in the end deserved their overdue victory.

ESPNSoccernet.com