A cagey first half threatened to burst into life when the two sides exchanged promising chances moments before the half-hour mark. Kone was offered the time and space to take aim from inside the box, but his effort lacked the power required to trouble Robin Risser.
After making a routine stop, the Lens goalkeeper quickly released the ball to start a patient move that culminated with Florian Thauvin steering a header wide from Abdallah Sima’s inviting delivery.
While neither side was able to find the breakthrough in the first period, Lorient required less than 10 second-half minutes to hit the front after Lens carelessly gave possession away in their own half.
That allowed Noah Mbamba to feed Panos Katseris, who drove down the right flank and fizzed a low ball across for Koné to guide home from close range.
With momentum in their favour, Les Merlus should have doubled their advantage on the hour mark when the unmarked Jean-Victor Makengo blazed over from Arsene Kouassi’s pullback.
Staring at the prospect of back-to-back defeats, Dino Toppmoller’s side started to up the ante and pin their opponents back into their own box.
Lens’ pressure nearly yielded a reward when Michael Cuisance produced a technically perfect volley from the edge of the box, only to be denied by Yvon Mvogo’s full-stretch stop.
The Lorient goalkeeper was then required to make an awkward save to prevent Florian Thauvin’s mishit effort from creeping under the crossbar.
Lens ultimately ran out of ideas, and their frustration boiled over when Souleymane Sagnan was sent off in stoppage time, receiving the second of his two yellows for a cynical challenge.
In stark contrast, Lorient were in a celebratory mood following their first H2H away win in seven years, a result that moves them above their opponents in the Ligue 1 table.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Nathaniel Adjei (Lorient)