Paris Saint-Germain left it late against Nice, Marseille won at Angers to stay in touch while Lorient continued their incredible run of form. Check out the action from Round 9 of Ligue 1 Uber Eats here!
Messi and Mbappé steal the show
Goals from Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé handed Paris Saint-Germain a 2-1 win against Nice at the Parc des Princes.
Messi's stunning free kick fired the reigning champions in front (28') but PSG were punished for a lapse in concentration two-minutes after the interval when Gaëtan Laborde prodded home his first goal for Nice.
Mbappé had the final say when he fired in PSG's winner (83') to keep the capital club two-points clear at the top of the table.
"We knew it would be a difficult game against a tough opponent," said PSG's new midfield signing Fabian Ruiz. "They have very good players and play good football but we produced a great game. We suffered until the end, but we left with the three points and that's the most important thing."
Emphatic Marseille down Angers
Marseille got back to winning ways with a convincing 3-0 win at Angers.
Jonathan Clauss started the rout by netting his first for the club (35') before quickfire goals from Luis Suarez (50') and Gerson (59') finished off the hosts to take OM's points total to 23 points after nine games, for the first time since the 1990-91 season.
"Our points total is fantastic," said Marseille midfielder Valentin Rongier after the 3-0 victory. "We did everything right on the pitch and it's nice to get our rewards for that. We know that in football, everything can change quickly but this form helps us gain confidence."
Sotoca wins it late for Lens
A Florian Sotoca penalty handed unbeaten Lens a 1-0 win against Lyon at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Sotoca smashed home his spot kick (82') after Thiago Mendes was penalised for a handball, to hand Lyon their fourth-consecutive defeat.
Lorient fairytale continues
A late goal from Théo Le Bris gave ten-man Lorient their seventh win of the season after a 2-1 win at home to LOSC.
Bafodé Diakité's unfortunate own-goal (9') put Les Merlus in front but they were pegged back twelve minutes from time when Jonathan David converted from close range to level the score. Le Bris had the final say with just three minutes to go when he slotted home the winner. Dango Ouattara was dismissed for Lorient just after the hour mark for two bookable offences.
Ben Yedder triple lifts Monaco
A Wissam Ben Yedder hat-trick helped Monaco made it four league wins on the bounce with 4-1 win against Nantes at the Stade Louis II.
Breel Embolo headed Monaco in front in the second minute before Wissam Ben Yedder's classy chip extended the advantage four-minutes later. The 32-year-old striker lashed home a second (28') before completing his hat-trick from the penalty spot (62') to lift Monaco up to fifth place. Caio Henrique's own-goal pulled one back for Nantes (79').
Rennes see off ten-man Strasbourg
Rennes made it five games without defeat as they beat Strasbourg 3-1 at the Stade de la Meinau.
Bruno Genesio's men were given a helping hand when Strasbourg defender Gerzino Nyamsi was sent off after 28 minutes. Rennes took full advantage as Arnaud Kalimuendo (38'), Martin Terrier (49') and Amine Gouiri (61') fired the visitors into an unassailable lead before Habib Diallo reduced the arrears with a 72nd-minute penalty.
Toulouse win thriller
Toulouse came from behind to beat Montpellier 4-2 in an eventful game at the Stadium de Toulouse.
Nicolas Cozza gave Montpellier the lead (7') but Toulouse hit back in style through Stijn Spierings (18'), Zakaria Aboukhlal (24') and Farès Chaïbi (31'). Brecht Dejaegere added a fourth for Toulouse three-minutes after the break, before Elye Wahi pulled one back for the visitors (68').
Spoils shared in Champagne derby
Troyes fought back to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Reims in the first Champagne derby of the season.
Folarin Balogun notched his sixth goal of the season to fire Reims in front (12') and Junya Ito added a second (54') to cancel out Wilson Odobert's leveler for the hosts (51'). Ito was given his marching orders just two-minutes after his goal and Troyes made the numerical advantage count when Jackson Porozo snatched a point for his side with a goal in the final minute.
Niang salvages point for Auxerre
M'Baye Niang kept his cool to convert a late penalty to earn Auxerre a 1-1 draw against Brest at the Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps.
In a tight affair, Brest took the lead through Islam Slimani (64') but Michele Der Zakarian's side were unable to hold on for all three points when Niang fired home from the spot (86'), to earn his side a point.
Clermont pile more misery on Ajaccio
Ajaccio suffered their seventh defeat of the season as they were beaten 3-1 at home to Clermont.
Cédric Avinel's 70th-minute goal cancelled out Grejohn Kyei's opener for Clermont. But two late goals from Elbasan Rashani and Jodel Doussou were enough for Pascal Gastien's men to take all-three points.
