The top four in the table all won in Round 21 as they began to ease away from the rest in Ligue 1 Uber Eats.
Champions Paris Saint-Germain had Mauricio Pochettino back on the bench after a bout of coronavirus and the Argentinian saw the capital club enjoy a 4-0 home win over Montpellier on Friday evening. Montpellier goalkeeper Jonas Omlin was sent off early for a foul on Kylian Mbappé, who went on to score his first goals under Pochettino. The world champion's double took him to 14 for the season, clear at the top of the Ligue 1 scoring chart. Neymar marked his 100th appearance for the club with his 81st goal and the other was netted by the in-form Mauro Icardi.
Pochettino said: "I was already pleased with how Mbappé was playing and now I am happy that he has scored. Confidence is vital for a striker. I was also pleased with Neymar and the way he tracked back. His commitment to the cause is important."
LOSC kept pace with PSG on 45 points at the top thanks to a 1-0 win at high-flying Rennes on Sunday, ending the home team's seven game unbeaten streak. Lille's record signing Jonathan David showed impressive reactions to turn in the winner for the second consecutive game, having already netted a vital goal against Reims the previous week.
LOSC coach Christophe Galtier commented: "It was a very important victory. We're on a good run. I'm looking at what's happening behind us and not what's happening in front of us. Gaps are being built but we are quite far away from the final sprint."
Zimbabwean international striker Tino Kadewere scored his second consecutive derby double as Olympique Lyonnais won 5-0 at Saint-Etienne on Sunday evening. ASSE were weakened by a Covid outbreak and injuries, and OL were ruthless as defender Marcelo also managed a double to keep Rudi Garcia's side two points back from top spot.
Garcia said: "We put heart into our play and that's what counts in a derby. We've played three derbies since I've joined and we've won them all, and that run needs to continue."
Monaco made it four wins in a row at the start of 2021 by coming from behind to beat struggling Marseille 3-1 at Stade Louis II on Saturday. OM went in front through Nemanja Radonjic but Niko Kovac's Monaco turned it around as goals from Guillermo Maripan, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Stevan Joevtic secured the points. OM have now lost three league games in succession, piling the pressure on coach André Villas-Boas.
Bordeaux are seventh and level with OM on 32 points following a 2-1 home win over Angers thanks to a double scored by South Korean international Hwang Ui-Jo. Metz are just a point back from Les Girondins after a 2-0 home win over Nantes, who have yet to win under new coach Raymond Domenech.
Nice recorded only their second win in 14 Ligue 1 Uber Eats matches as Youcef Atal neted the only goal at Lens. Reims beat Brest 1-0 through a fortuitous Nathanaël Mbuku winner, while Dijon moved out of the bottom two following a 1-1 draw at home to Strasbourg. Nîmes fell to 19th following the postponement of their home game with Lorient.
