In-form Toulouse spoiled Jean-Guy Wallemme's debut as Auxerre coach with a 1-0 home win on Sunday that allowed Alain Casanova's side to reclaim fourth place from Lyon in Ligue 1.
Wallemme took over at bottom club Auxerre after Laurent Fournier was sacked last weekend and saw his new side undone by a powerful 38th-minute strike from Franck Tabanou beneath bright spring sunshine at Toulouse's Stadium Municipal.
It was a fifth win in sixth league games for Toulouse, who trail Lille by three points in the contest for the third and final Champions League place.
Auxerre, meanwhile, remain five points behind fourth-bottom Caen, who lost 2-0 at Dijon.
In Sunday's late game, title favourites Paris Saint-Germain will bid to reclaim top spot when Bordeaux visit Parc des Princes.
An 89th-minute volley from Olivier Giroud gave Montpellier a 1-0 win over Saint-Etienne on Saturday that took Rene Girard's side a point clear at the summit, but PSG can return to pole position with victory over Bordeaux.
Lille kept a firm grip on third place by winning 3-0 at Evian, while Marseille ended a run of seven straight defeats in all competitions by drawing 1-1 at Nice.
Source: AFP
