Paul-Georges Ntep scored twice to hand Rennes a 2-0 victory over Lens, who have slipped into the bottom three following a winless run that now stands at five games.
It was a bright start to the game from the hosts, with Abdoulaye Doucoure seeing an early header saved by Rudy Riou.
Rennes continued to dominate for long spells, but their frustration grew as chances to pull away from Lens were regularly wasted.
Kamil Grosicki came closest to breaking the deadlock before the interval when he struck the crossbar with a powerful effort after being released by Philipp Hosiner.
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The wait for the opening goal came to an end nine minutes into the second half when Ntep used space on the edge of the box to curl a shot past a helpless Riou.
Despite enjoying more of the ball after falling behind, Lens were unable to pile on the pressure due to a lack of a cutting edge in the final third.
Ntep confirmed the win late on by converting from close range after Doucoure had led a counter-attack for Rennes.
Callum Mulvihill
