The visitors were looking to put a bad domestic week behind them, but almost compounded their own misery when they gave possession away cheaply in their own half, which led to Corentin Tolisso hitting the outside of the post with a shot.
However, Frankfurt took the lead against the run of play when Hugo Ekitike was played in behind the Lyon defence on the left wing, and had the time and vision to loft a volleyed cross to the unmarked Ansgar Knauff, who fizzed his finish into the bottom corner beyond Lucas Perri in the Lyon goal.
Although their initial response was muted, the home side would soon be level and go on to dominate the remainder of the first half.
When the equaliser came there was some fortune involved, as Tolisso’s well-hit shot from 30 yards out took a nick off Rayan Cherki’s outstretched leg, which was enough to bamboozle Kevin Trapp and send the ball flying into the back of the net.
From there, it was a case of hanging on until half-time for the visitors, as Trapp was called into action to deny Alexandre Lacazette from close range, and Ernest Nuamah hit the woodwork from a tight angle after a fine pass from Cherki.
Survive as they may have done, Frankfurt would soon be on the verge of their first Europa League defeat in over four years as Pierre Sage’s men bagged two goals in four second-half minutes to all but seal the win.
Lyon did not take the lead, they were gifted it.
Arthur Theate’s hesitation allowed the French side to win the ball back, starting a move that would culminate in Cherki squaring the ball to Malick Fofana, who calmly finished beyond Trapp.
Moments later and it was flair that left Frankfurt floundering, as Ernest Nuamah picked up the ball out wide on the right wing, cut inside onto his left foot and unleashed an unstoppable strike into the top corner.
Although Frankfurt pushed for a lifeline, there seemed to be very little fight left in the men from Hesse, as the home side rested their key players ahead of facing PSG at the weekend.
The home team looked to be cruising to a comfortable victory, but substitute Omar Marmoush sprung the Lyon offside trip and coolly finished to set up a nail-biting finish.
However, the Eagles stale week turned sour, and Lyon held on to a win that means they leapfrog their opponents up into fourth in the Europa League league phase.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Rayan Cherki (Lyon)
