Knowing the winner of the game would assume pole position for a UEFA Champions League (UCL) spot next season, there was an electric atmosphere inside the Groupama Stadium.
The home crowd saw their side dominate possession early on, but they were silenced on six minutes by a piece of brilliance from Rennes.
There didn’t appear to be much danger when a raking crossfield pass from Esteban Lepaul picked out the run of Musa Al-Taamari, but the Jordanian forward stunned everyone with a sublime first-time volley from the edge of the area, which picked out the far corner.
Lyon looked to fight back but found themselves increasingly frustrated as a series of crosses and set-pieces refused to land their way in the box, but their patience was rewarded with a dramatic turnaround late in the half.
The leveller owed everything to an inswinging cross from Corentin Tolisso, as the pace and shape on the ball meant that Roman Yaremchuk simply had to guide it past Brice Samba.
The comeback was completed minutes later when Al-Taamari barged Afonso Moreira over in the box, and Tolisso stepped up to smack the resultant penalty into the corner.
The hosts carried that lead into the break, but it didn’t last long after the restart as they were undone by the same Rennes combination again.
This time, Al-Taamari played the role of provider, with a clever cutback which was tucked home with the aid of a deflection by Lepaul for his 19th Ligue 1 strike of the campaign.
Yet again, Lyon refused to be shaken and retook the lead on 52 minutes. A sublime through ball from Abner was perfectly placed for a first-time finish from Moreira, who netted for the second time in three appearances.
The visitors made a couple of changes with 20 minutes to go and looked like they were gearing up to push for another equaliser, but they were caught out by a crucial fourth Lyon goal.
The home side had seen success all night thanks to their ferocious press in the final third, and reaped the rewards again when Tolisso picked out Endrick and the Real Madrid loanee ruthlessly slammed the ball high into the net.
That sealed a win which could be pivotal in the race for UCL football next season as Lyon move into third position with only two more games to play, whilst Rennes now sit four points behind in fifth.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Corentin Tolisso (Olympique Lyonnais)