EA Guingamp 1-1 AS Monaco 

THE MATCH
With captain and top scorer Radamel Falcao absent through injury, Monaco headed to Brittany looked to secure a first win in three league meetings with Guingamp to move further clear of trouble and keep their hosts in it.

Last weekend's 1-0 defeat at home to another struggling side, SM Caen, was their first defeat since the return of Leonardo Jardim after a run of four wins and three draws that had helped the principality side pull away from the danger zone.

Guingamp, however, started the brighter. Nolan Roux nearly connected with Ludovic Blas' cross-cum-shot (9') in front of goal before Pedro Rebocho's corner was met by the head of Félix Eboa Eboa, who powered the ball beyond Danijel Subasic (23').

Caillard saves

Beaten a week ago in the Coupe de la Ligue final by RC Strasbourg Alsace, Guingamp had also tasted defeat at Montpellier in midweek, but played with a brio that Monaco found difficult to cope with.

Not that the visitors, who had seen Dijon FCO close to within six points of them with their fine win in Lyon earlier in the day, were toothless. Home 'keeper Marc-Aurèle Caillard blocked Aleksandr Golovin's shot and then Carlos Vinicius' follow-up (25') to keep Jocelyn Gourvennec's men in the driving seat.

They only remained there thanks to the woodwork of Caillard's goal, which was rattled by Adrien Silva's half-volley from 25 metres with the Guingamp goalkeeper seemingly beaten (49').

Jovetic strike

Try as they might, Monaco failed to sustain any sort of pressure on the Guingamp goal, though their perseverance might have been rewarded had Vinicius been able to get his header from Gelson Martins' cross on target (81').

The big Brazilian, his team's late matchwinner at Lille recently, saw the ball fly over the bar, however, but with just seconds left, Jovetic — playing only his seventh league game of an injury-riddled campaign — showed once again he can be counted on for goals when Falcao is missing.

The Montenegro international, who had replaced Rony Lopes just before the hour-mark, was in the right place at the right time for Monaco when the ball broke kindly in a goalmouth scramble to earn a point that edges the principality side to safety and keeps Guingamp bottom of the table (90+4').

THE PLAYER: Stevan Jovetic
The ex-Manchester City and Fiorentina man has shown a number of times the quality Monaco lack in front of goal when Falcao is missing, and did so again with a goal that gives his team a handy seven-point cushion over the bottom three.

THE STAT: 13
This was the 13th away goal of a total of 16 that Monaco have scored in the second half, and the eighth after the 80th minute.