Already eight points behind their fierce rivals ahead of kick-off, Lille could ill afford a slow start, which made Jose Fonte’s decision to wipe out Deiver Machado in the box all the more mind blowing.
Lucas Chevalier was on hand to spare his teammate’s blushes though, guessing the right way from the resulting penalty to push Sotoca’s mishit penalty away for a corner.
That save breathed new life into Lille, who took the game to their bitter rivals from then on, coming close to an opener when Benjamin Andre’s measured ball was latched onto by David, but the Canadian’s low drive was easily gathered by Brice Samba.
The first half proved to be a tale of two penalties, as Lille were handed a spot-kick of their own before the break when Massadio Haidara dragged down André in the area.
David didn’t make the same mistake Sotoca did however, confidently dispatching his seventh league goal of the campaign.
With an unbeaten league run to preserve, Lens came out after the break with a renewed optimism and twice came close within the opening 15 minutes of the second half, with both Seko Fofana and Jimmy Cabot firing agonisingly wide of the target.
Lille had generally limited Lens to long-range pop-shots after the penalty, and Alexis Claude Maurice was the latest to try his luck from distance, this time finding the target, only to find the outstretched arm of Chevalier, who was on hand to produce a stunning stop.
Despite these clubs nearly merging in the 1990s, there was no love lost between them, with a hotly contested match descending into a slog as Lens pushed hard for an equaliser.
A leveller eluded Lens though, whose eight-match unbeaten Ligue 1 away run came to an abrupt halt.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Benjamin Andre (Lille)
