Toulouse had little to play for with two rounds remaining, but that did not deter the home side from racing into the lead inside 10 minutes, when Yann Gboho sent Dayann Methalie racing through on goal with a sublime defence-splitting pass, and the latter applied a brilliant finish past Dominik Greif.
Lyon almost levelled minutes later, when Afonso Moreira broke down the left flank before picking out Khalis Merah in the box, but his header sailed away from the right post.
Les Gones continued to probe for the equaliser as Endrick went on a mazing run into the box but could only find the side netting with a side-footed finish.
Their dominance petered out, and Toulouse almost doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time when Gboho led a counterattack and slipped in Santiago Hidalgo, but the overhit pass forced a stretched finish, and his effort cannoned off the post.
Les Violets continued to dominate after the restart as Paulo Fonseca’s men struggled to gain a foothold in the contest.
Despite Toulouse seeing most of the ball, they struggled to turn their domination into goalscoring chances, and that came back to bite the hosts as Lyon levelled the scoreline with 20 minutes remaining.
Endrick’s corner kick was headed in by a towering Corentin Tolisso, with the Lyon captain enjoying his best-ever goalscoring campaign in his career, notching 15 times in all competitions.
Parity lasted less than 10 minutes, however, with Toulouse restoring their lead in the 78th minute when Hidalgo’s reverse ball into the danger area was turned home by Warren Kamanzi.
In a topsy-turvy affair, Lyon were handed a lifeline as the hosts were reduced to 10 men after Aron Donnum was sent off for two yellow cards with 10 plus stoppage time to go.
Fonseca’s men tried to equalise once again, but Carles Martinez Novell’s men held on for three points, which offers a chance for a top-half finish with one game remaining.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Afonso Moreira (Lyon)