Searching for a fourth consecutive win at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille dominated possession in the opening stages, yet the hosts struggled to find a way through a resolute Nantes backline.
When the chances eventually came, Lille were wasteful, with Remy Cabella racing past Nicolas Cozza and crossing into a promising position only for the ball to evade all of his teammates.
Les Dogues were almost punished for their lack of cutting edge when a piercing Nantes counter-attack found Johann Lepenant unmarked inside the area, but the midfielder missed his chance to strike for a third time this season as he scuffed his shot wide.
Normal service resumed after that chance and Lille’s relentless pressure paid off when Cabella’s curling shot hit the crossbar and fortuitously rebounded straight to Gabriel Gudmundsson, who volleyed Les Dogues in front with his first goal of the campaign.
Conceding first was generally a bad omen for Nantes, as Les Canaris failed to win in seven Ligue 1 games after shipping the match opener. Ignatius Ganago thought he had shifted the visitors' fortunes with a leveller just two minutes after half-time, drilling past Lucas Chevalier before the goal was ruled out for offside following VAR’s intervention.
However, Nantes were persistent in their pursuit of a goal and were given another chance to even the score after Bafodé Diakite conceded a penalty by tripping Mostafa Mohamed inside the Lille area.
Matthis Abline converted the resulting spot-kick and tucked his effort into the bottom corner after sending Chevalier the wrong way.
Although Bruno Genesio and Lille will be frustrated about dropping two points here, there are still reasons to be positive as Les Dogues move into Ligue 1’s top four thanks to their ongoing 12-match unbeaten run.
Meanwhile, Nantes’ spirited response after going behind will give Antoine Kombouaré hope that his side can climb away from the relegation zone as Les Canaris move two points clear of the drop.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Matthis Abline (Nantes)