Contrasting styles opened proceedings at the Stade de la Meinau, with Lille knocking the ball around comfortably and Strasbourg biding their time until opportunities presented themselves.
A superb back-to-front move from the hosts deserved a goal, but Guela Doue wasn’t able to pull the trigger when it mattered.
Aissa Mandi then denied Emanuel Emegha as Strasbourg threatened, before Mike Penders’ superb one-handed save from Nathan Ngoy’s powerful header kept the scores level as the game started to open up.
Penders was called upon again shortly after when Lille’s Hakon Haraldsson got his effort on target, and with the visitors in the ascendancy, Olivier Giroud shot just over with the best chance from either side in the opening 30 minutes.
Strasbourg then went straight up the other end and, thanks to Diego Moreira’s cross and a mix up between Ngoy and Lille keeper Berke Ozer, Emegha managed to find the net as the ball cannoned off his thigh.
An uneventful start to the second half quickly became an exercise in possession from both midfields, but as the hour mark approached, Lille were again the more dominant of the two teams, with Ngoy the next to get a shot on target.
Yet, Strasbourg were never out of the equation and managed to net a killer second goal on 62’. Far from looking like the experienced veteran he is, Giroud didn’t look up when playing the ball back to Ozer, and the back pass was gleefully accepted by Emegha, who slid the ball past the keeper for his second.
Soon after, Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior was handed a yellow for dissent, and his further complaints saw a second yellow and subsequent red brandished by Francois Letexier. But even without their manager in close attendance, the hosts retained their battling qualities to the end.
Despite a brief late rally, which saw Hamza Igamane attempt to halve the deficit, a straight red for Calvin Verdonk after a vicious stoppage-time challenge ended any chance of a comeback. The result means that Lille have now failed to win their last five Ligue 1 games when conceding first.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Emanuel Emegha (Strasbourg)
