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Lyon’s charge towards a fifth consecutive title continued with a thumping 4-0 win away to basement club Metz this afternoon.
The game was wrapped up as early as half-time, with goals from John Carew, Juninho Pernambucano and Sylvain Wiltord giving the champions a comfortable lead by the midway stage.
Florent Malouda added a fourth in the second period, as Lyon stretched their lead at the top to 10 points. Paris Saint-Germain and Bordeaux can close the gap to seven points this evening if they beat Nancy and Toulouse respectively.
Metz, meanwhile, remain rooted to the foot of the standings, without a win in 12 matches and with only four points in the bag.
The Lorraine side had started so positively, creating the game’s first two openings, but Szabolcs Huszti’s shot was deflected wide by Cris before Dino Djiba headed off target.
Lyon never seemed overly concerned, and they duly went ahead through a lovely individual goal from Carew, who had been restored to the starting lineup after a suspension and a bout of flu. The Norway international broke free down the left with impressive acceleration, then powered a shot across the face of goal and into the top corner.
Tiago then saw his long-range shot parried by Grégory Wimbée, as Lyon stepped up the pressure. Juninho doubled the Lyon lead nine minutes before the interval, latching onto a Jérémy Berthod cross and, after controlling the ball instantly, steering a left-footed shot past the exposed Metz ‘keeper.
The contest was over moments later when Wiltord grabbed his fifth goal of the campaign, heading in a Malouda cross.
The quality of Lyon’s football was outstanding and simply too much for Metz to handle. The players interchanged positions and linked up seemingly telepathically at times. Metz had barely touched the ball in the second period when Wiltord returned the favour for Malouda by playing the France midfielder in to slot home a fourth.
Gérard Houllier rung the changes thereon and, with Metz content to keep the score down, the game fizzled out in the closing stages.
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