Thauvin shines as Lens crush Angers to surge past PSG in Ligue 1 table

Seeking to revive their unexpected title bid following a frustrating 2-1 loss to Lorient in the previous round, Lens began brightly when a swift throw-in surprised Angers defenders, with Saud Abdulhamid heading a loose ball for Thauvin to slot home neatly from near the line.

The home team appeared threatening early on, though Odsonne Edouard squandered an excellent opportunity inside the six-yard area, but shortly afterwards, the striker added a second goal for his team.

Thauvin intercepted a misplaced pass from Ousmane Camara and immediately fed Edouard, who flicked the ball through his opponents legs with a deft touch before chipping it softly over Oumar Pona, marking his tenth pre-interval goal in eleven matches where he has scored this term.

Amine Sbai posed a danger in reply, yet after Mamadou Sangare compelled Pona to deflect a shot onto the bar, the Lens player increased the margin with a long-range effort that curled into the top corner.

Merely three minutes into the second half, Edouard netted the fourth, latching onto a precise through-ball from Thauvin, feinting before guiding it beyond Pona.

Still, Angers managed a late reply on 62 minutes, as Lanroy Machine reacted sharply to poke in Lilian Raolisoas driven centre.

That said, the evenings standout moment belonged to Matthieu Udol, who executed a spectacular overhead kick to connect with Abdallah Simas high cross, providing a fitting conclusion to proceedings as Pierre Sages outfit secured a comprehensive victory.

Aiming for their initial Ligue 1 success since the 1997/98 campaign, Lens have triumphed in 13 of the past 14 fixtures versus teams languishing in the lower reaches at kickoff.

The same impressive streak across their most recent 14 home games at Stade Bollaert-Delelis explains how Les Sang et Or now lead Paris Saint-Germain by two points, despite having contested two extra fixtures.

In contrast, Angers remain winless against any top-eight opponent this season (D3, L9), making ambitions of a first upper-table position since 2015/16 seem ever more remote. With five losses from their last six league matches, Les Scoïstes sit 12th in a rather unremarkable mid-table spot.