Lyon made twice their usual chances to beat Angers 2-0

Lyon beat Angers at the Groupama Stadium, and the chances they created were well above their usual level.

A penalty call involving Lyon was cancelled by VAR, the video review that lets officials check major decisions, in the 15th minute, and it was the first moment that shaped this match. What followed went well beyond one incident. Lyon created far more than they normally do, and Angers found far less than they usually manage.

Lyon had 20 shots, against the 10.5 they average at home, and 13 of them came from inside the penalty area. Expected goals, a measure that gives each shot a value based on how often that kind of chance goes in, put their attempts at 1.98. Their usual home figure is 0.98, so this was roughly double their normal return.

Angers were pushed into the reverse. Away from home they usually produce 1.37 expected goals and take 11.5 shots, but this time their chances were worth 0.42. They also had 35% of the ball, when they normally keep 48.8% while travelling.

Lyon had 65% of the possession, against a home average of 49.1%. That is the detail that explains where the chances came from, because keeping the ball for longer gives a side more chances to attack the penalty area and less time for the opposition to do the same.

Nuamah put Lyon ahead in the 38th minute, with Tolisso providing the assist, and Tolisso added the second in the 86th minute after a pass from Nakamura. Tolisso, rated 9 for the afternoon, was the player who turned the most chances into goals. Angers' goalkeeper Anthony Lopes made three saves, but could not stop the second goal.

Angers conceded two goals, which is close to the 1.9 they usually concede away. Lyon kept a clean sheet, having conceded 0.9 on average at home. Two goals is below the 3.1 the division averages per match, so the chance numbers suggest the scoreline was a modest reward for the attacking play on show.

Lyon are fifth in the table with 14 points from eight matches, and Angers are 15th with eight points from the same number of games. Lyon have won three of their last six, while Angers have won one.

Player of the matchC. Tolisso1 goal · 1 assist9.0

E. Nuamah1 goal8.2

Keito Nakamura1 assist7.7

T. Tessmann1 chance created7.2