Ligue 1 wrap: Lille extend lead, PSG lose ground

Lille continued their march towards their first Ligue 1 title in more than 50 years with a 3-1 win over Caen on Saturday.

The victory extends Lille’s lead atop the Ligue 1 table to seven points with only nine games remaining, leaving them in the box seat to claim their first top-flight championship since 1954.

Aurelien Chedjou set the tone for Lille with the opening goal against Caen after 30 minutes, before Eden Hazard and Moussa Sow added further goals in the second half to blow the game open.

Caen did manage to pull back one goal through Youssef El-Arabi with five minutes remaining, but it proved to be a mere consolation.

Stade Rennes could have moved into second place with a victory on Sunday, but were instead held to a 0-0 draw by struggling Auxerre.

The point gained at the Stade de la Route de Lorient moved Rennes level on points with second-placed Lyon, while Auxerre are just one point above the relegation zone in 17th.

Sochaux extended Brest’s winless run to five matches with a 2-1 victory at the Stade Auguste-Bonal.

Ryad Boudebouz scored a penalty for the hosts after just seven minutes, but Brest equalised with a penalty of their own from Bruno Gougi just past the hour mark.

The match seemed destined for a draw until Ideye Brown netted in the first minute of injury time to snatch all three points for Sochaux and leave Brest perched precariously outside the relegation zone.

Monaco moved closer to safety thanks to a 2-0 win away to hapless Arles.

It has been a horror season for Laurent Banide’s side with just six wins for the campaign, but the victory at the Parc des Sports in Avignon moves them within one point of safety.

Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain slipped further behind the top four after they were held to a scoreless draw at home by Lorient, while Nancy and Bordeaux also drew 0-0.