Montpellier provisionally went two points clear of Paris Saint-Germain at the top of Ligue 1 after edging in-form Bordeaux 1-0 at Stade de la Mosson on Saturday.
John Utaka headed home the winning goal from Marco Estrada's 80th-minute corner, sending Rene Girard's side to the summit ahead of PSG's trip to sixth-placed Lyon later in the day and consigning Bordeaux to their first league defeat this year.
Saint-Etienne remained in fourth place after spurning the opportunity to draw level on points with third-placed Lille in a 0-0 draw at struggling Auxerre.
Nice leapfrogged Auxerre and Nancy out of the relegation zone after beating Caen 1-0 through a header from Anthony Mounier in the 50th minute, with Nancy going down 2-0 at Evian.
Ajaccio secured a first win in four games by beating fellow promoted side Dijon 2-1, while Lorient have now gone 10 league games without victory following a 2-0 defeat at Valenciennes.
Held 2-2 by Montpellier last weekend, PSG can only reclaim top spot with victory over a Lyon side desperate to close the troubling six-point gap separating them from the Champions League places.
Having secured a 1-0 advantage over Inter Milan in the Champions League in mid-week, Marseille will also be bidding to keep pace with the top three when they travel to Brest on Sunday. Lille, the defending champions, visit Rennes.
Source: AFP
