Philippe Montanier’s side started brightly and raced into a 2-0 lead with two goals in as many minutes through Rafael Ratão and Zakaria Aboukhlal. Ratão broke the deadlock after Steve Mandanda could only push Chaïbi's shot onto the post, and the ball subsequently fell into the Brazilian's path to steer home the rebound. Their lead was doubled when Mandanda parried another effort, this time towards Aboukhlal, whose goal was given following a VAR review.
Aboukhlal played a pivotal role in a third for Les Violets, as the Morocco international’s ball across the box was clinically swept home by Thijs Dallinga for his eighth Ligue 1 goal of the season. It was the quickest that Le Téfécé had led by three goals in a league match since beating Valenciennes back in October 2006, although they were fortunate not to see the lead cut when Jérémy Doku’s superb long-range strike cannoned off the crossbar.
Rennes had a lifeline 10 minutes into the second half thanks to an Anthony Rouault own goal, after the Frenchman diverted Doku’s cross past his own goalkeeper. Les Rouge et Noir were buoyed by their slice of fortune, and Maxime Dupé was called into action again to push away Désiré Doué's effort. Chasing a way back into the contest left the visitors open at the back, and Montanier's men should have added a fourth when Denis Genreau and Aboukhal both struck the woodwork from Ratão's excellent delivery on the right-hand side.
Bruno Génésio’s side ultimately succumbed to consecutive Ligue 1 defeats, ending their seven-match unbeaten run against Toulouse which dated back to August 2017, and could see Rennes drop down a place to sixth should Lille beat Strasbourg later in the day. Meanwhile, Toulouse moved up two spots into tenth, and more displays like this means that a push for European football is not completely out of the question.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Zakaria Aboukhlal (Toulouse)
