Marseille overcame Nantes to leapfrog Lens into second, Paris Saint-Germain saw off the challenge of Montpellier and Angers claimed an unwanted top-flight record. Check out the action from Round 21 of Ligue 1 Uber Eats here!
PSG find their groove
Paris Saint-Germain got back to winning ways with a 3-1 win at Montpellier.
Fabian Ruiz netted his first goal for the club to open the scoring (55') before turning provider for Lionel Messi to notch his ninth goal of the season (72').
Arnaud Nordin pulled one back for Montpellier (89') but the reigning champions regained their two-goal advantage when 16-year-old Warren Zaïre-Emery scored his first league goal in added time.
"We made unusual technical errors," said PSG coach Christophe Galtier after seeing his side win their first away game of 2023. "We talked about it a lot before the game. Overall I am satisfied and we were more clinical in the second half. I liked the efforts made by the team."
Marseille claim Nantes victory
Marseille continued their excellent run of form as they overcame Nantes 2-0 at La Beaujoire.
They were given a helping hand in the 57th minute when Joao Victor turned the ball into his own net. OM finished the job in stoppage time when new-boy Azzedine Ounahi fired past Alban Lafont to claim maximum points and climb into second place.
"He will need time to adapt, he comes from another club and a different football," said a delighted Marseille coach Igor Tudor after Ounahi's goal scoring introduction. "He has talent, we know it, and his goal shows that he is a talented player. This is not always enough to succeed at OM but it is a good prerequisite."
Nice claim Lens scalp
After claiming ten-consecutive home victories, Lens were beaten 1-0 by Nice at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Gaëtan Laborde's close-range winner (57') proved to be the deciding moment in a tight contest, to extend Nice's unbeaten run to four games. Lens drop to third place on the table.
Rennes see off Strasbourg
Rennes shook off last weekend's defeat at Lorient with a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Strasbourg.
Amine Gouiri scored twice (3' & 21') and Desire Doué added another to hand Bruno Génésio's men all-three points.
Monaco sneak past Auxerre
Monaco closed on third-placed Lens with a 3-2 win over Auxerre at the Stade Louis II.
Wissam Ben Yedder opened the scoring with a neat finish (11') before teenager Eliesse Ben Seghir fired in a beauty (30') to extend the advantage.
Matthis Abline pulled one back for Auxerre (68') but the visitors could do nothing about Breel Embolo's close-range strike (82'). Nuno Da Costa netted for Christophe Pélissier's side two-minutes later.
Stalemate at LOSC
LOSC failed to find the target for the second-consecutive game as they drew 0-0 at home at Clermont.
The result sees LOSC stay in sixth while Clermont drop to ninth.
No breakthrough for Lyon
Lyon were held to a goalless draw by Brest at the Groupama Stadium.
Les Gones remain in tenth place, Brest stay in 15th, a point above the drop zone.
Reims stage incredible comeback
Reims fought back from two-goals down to beat Lorient 4-2 in a thriller at the Stade Auguste Delaune.
Goals from Enzo Le Fée (10') and Ibrahima Koné (35') put Lorient two goals to the good but Les Merlus could do nothing about an extraordinary Reims revival.
Star striker Folarin Balogun hit a superb hat-trick (44', 61' & 64') and Kamory Doumbia notched another (51') to stun the visitors and turn the game on its head.
Toulouse march on
Toulouse made it four wins in five games as they thrashed Troyes 4-1 at the Stadium Municipal.
First-half goals from Thijs Dallinga(16') and Farès Chaïbi (36') cancelled out Mama Baldé's 12-minute penalty for Troyes. Philippe Montanier's side overpowered Troyes in the second half as Branco van den Boomen (55') and Ado Onaiwu (88') completed the rout.
Unlucky 13 for Angers
Angers were beaten for the 13th game in succession - a French top-flight record - as Ajaccio claimed maximum points in a 2-1 win at the Stade Raymond Kopa.
Abdallah Sima broke the deadlock for the hosts (13') but their lead was wiped out late in the second half when Moussa Soumano levelled for the Corsican's (65') before Mounaim El Idrissy broke Angers hearts in added time.
