The four Ligue 1 Uber Eats title challengers are now separated by just three points after Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon and AS Monaco all registered victories to gain ground on leaders LOSC. Meanwhile the fight for Europa League qualification intensified as Lens dropped two points to open the door for Marseille and Rennes.
Lille head coach Christophe Galtier conceded that his side will have to "fight until the end" after Les Dogues' lead at the top of Ligue 1 Uber Eats was cut to just one point following Friday night's draw at home to Montpellier.Galtier's side were made to work for the result after falling behind midway through the first half thanks to a daring Andy Delort header, but a smart Luiz Araujo finish five minutes from time rescued a point for the leaders whose stuttering home form continues to hinder them.
Galtier: 'Can't be happy with the draw'
"Montpellier's goal knocked us out and left the team disunited and disorganised," said a typically frank Galtier. "In the second half, things changed. We managed to play higher up the pitch by creating a lot of situations for ourselves. We were fortunate enough to equalise, it was very important, but overall, you can't be happy with the draw. Unfortunately, we were only able to score one goal. We will now prepare for a big match next Sunday at Lyon."
Mbappé: 'Go down in the club history'
Paris Saint-Germain had Kylian Mbappé and the returning Mauro Icardi to thank as Mauricio Pochettino's side scored a 95th-minute winner to beat Saint-Etienne 3-2 at the Parc des Princes. Mbappé was once again PSG's talisman, earning his side a first home league victory since mid-February, and admitted that he wants the club to create history.
"The league is important for us, it would be the club's tenth title," said a relieved Mbappé, whose two goals were matched by strikes from Denis Bouanga and Romain Hamouma before some Angel Di Maria magic on the right set Mauro Icardi up for a last-gasp match-winning header. "We want to go down in club history. There is a title race this year, and we have to give it our all."
PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino was also extremely positive after the hard-fought win that saw PSG avoid what would have been an unprecedented fifth-straight home defeat: "These are three important points that give us energy. We are back in the table, and we are still in the running in three competitions. The way we got the win was very emotional and we suffered. The important thing is the character we showed, the mentality and belief to get the three points."
Monaco, Lyon keeping pace
AS Monaco head coach Niko Kovac could not hide his delight after his side swept aside Bordeaux 3-0 at the Matmut Atlantique. Les Monégasques controlled the game from the start and had their in-form attacking sector - Kevin Volland, Gelson Martins and Stevan Jovetic - to thank for the goals took their tally to 14 in their last four matches - all wins and all clean sheets.
"I would like to take my hat off to my players who have performed well," said Kovac, whose third-placed side now sit two points behind leaders LOSC looking to take full advantage of any dropped points in a late push for the title. "We did our job and fourth place in now stitched up. If we can go higher, why not? We will do everything to achieve this."
So LOSC and PSG will doubtless be looking over their shoulders, but not just at AS Monaco - Lyon are also gaining momentum after taking all three points with a 2-1 victory at Nantes on Sunday night. Memphis Depay starred with a two-goal haul, going second on the Ligue 1 Uber Eats scorers chart, and while Nicolas Pallois pulled one back for the hosts, it wasn't enough to deny Rudy Garcia's men, who re just three points off the lead in fourth.
Fight for Europe intensifies
Meanwhile RC Lens dropped two valuable points in the fight for Europa League qualification after an ill-tempered 1-1 draw at Brest that saw three players - as well as Lens boss Franck Haise - sent off. Lens captain Gaël Kakuta converted a penalty 18 minutes from time to cancel out Jean Lucas's opener, but neither side was able to push on and find a winner.
Marseille managed to keep the pressure on Lens with a 3-2 win over relegation-threatened Lorient, but it was no easy task for Jorge Sampaoli's side in a see-sawing thriller filled with superb goals. Lorient's Nigerian sensation Terem Moffi, OM playmaker Dimitri Payet and OM right-back Pol Lirola all conjured superb strikes to make it 2-2 with 20 minutes to go, but Lirola hit the winner in injury time to hand OM a fourth-straight home win and keep them within striking distance of RC Lens in the pursuit of Europa League qualification.
Three-sy for Rennes
Rennes boosted their hopes of European qualification with a convincing 3-0 victory at Angers SCO on Saturday lunchtime. A Jeremy Doku goal on the stroke of half-time put Rennes in the ascendancy. Second half strikes from Martin Terrier and Sehrou Guirassy ended any hopes the hosts had of salvaging anything from the game and sent Stéphane Moulin's troops to their second 3-0 reverse in a week.
Finally, bottom club Dijon FCO ended a 16-match winless run after a 2-0 win at home to OGC Nice but David Linares' side remain 14 points from safety and look destined for imminent relegation. Nîmes remain in 18th place after drawing 1-1 at home to Strasbourg while Reims and Metz remain mid-table after a scoreless draw at the Stade Auguste Delaune on Sunday.
