Lens boss Will Still says he oversaw his side's Ligue 1 win over Marseille after girlfriend Emma Saunders told him to remain in the dugout, despite her health problems.

Saunders, a presenter on Sky Sports who previously worked for BBC Sport, said in a post on Instagram, external on Saturday she was recovering from encephalitis, which is an infection of the brain.

Still had been absent for part of the build-up to Lens' 4-3 home league defeat to Le Havre on 1 March when the nature of Saunders' illness was not made public.

His brothers Nicolas and Edward, who are assistants at Lens, had prepared the side during that time while Still was in the UK with Saunders, but he returned to take charge against Le Havre.

With her blessing, the 32-year-old - born in Belgium to English parents - was in the technical area against Marseille on Saturday as his side snatched a dramatic victory thanks to a 94th-minute winner from Neil El Aynaoui.

"When I came back last Saturday I knew she [Saunders] was in the best place possible to get treatment," Still said after the success at Stade Velodrome.

"I asked her, 'should I go? should I not go?' - and she said to me, 'you have to go'. I thank the staff again who did the work for me when I wasn't here."

Still said Saunders is "stable" and "doing well", which was "the most important thing", as he praised his players for how they have responded to the situation.

"Of course, there are more important things in life than a football match or a shot into the top corner," Still added.

"I have been honest with the guys. My girlfriend was in a coma, I had to be with her. We had to take care of her and the group have reacted admirably well."

When asked how he could manage in these circumstances, Still added: "It's my job, it's what I am paid for. I am well paid, so I told myself I have to give something back, hence my frustration last week."

Saunders thanked Still for "being you and being there for me" and hopes to return to Sky Sports' coverage later in the season.

"I hope it won't be long until I'm back to see out the end of 2024-25 – especially after missing part of the start of the season before this when I was treated for thyroid cancer," she wrote on Instagram.

"So, as I spend time now recovering and rebuilding again I just wanted to thank my family and friends for their rock-solid support, my colleagues at Sky for their patience allowing me the time to heal, and our wonderful NHS for their extraordinary kindness and care."