Marseille romp puts Montpellier in their place

Champions Marseille went top of the league on Saturday for the first time this season with a 4-0 humbling of Montpellier giving the losers a wake up call to their own title pretensions.

The 1993 European champions may be displaced by Lille should they beat Bordeaux in Saturday’s late match but with Marseille having a game in hand which they will play on Wednesday against Rennes.

Rennes’ hopes of going top, in what is a proving a real ding dong of a battle for supremacy this season with seven teams having been top already, were dented when they lost 2-0 in the Brittany derby to Lorient.

Brest also entertained dreams of topping the table but they were thwarted when their home match with struggling Lens was abandoned at half-time because of snow with the match scoreless.

Marseille opened the scoring in the 19th minute as Lucho Gonzalez fired home with a half volley, after being set up by Brandao, giving Montpellier goalkeeper Geoffrey Jordren no chance as the ball zipped past him and nestled in the far corner of the net.

It was a welcome respite for Brandao as he has had a miserable season thusfar, save a good third for Marseille in their Champions League win in midweek, and he had missed a sitter in the sixth minute when he fired wide from just six metres out.

The hosts doubled their lead shortly afterwards as Benoit Cheyrou let rip from way outside the penalty area and his shot took two deflections to completely befuddle the unfortunate Jordren and the goal was subsequently marked down as an own goal to Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.

Marseille made sure of the points when the outstanding Mathieu Valbuena put the ball past Jordren after being set up by Lucho with 25 minutes remaining – Loic Remy rubbed salt into the wound with a goal into stoppage time.

The win came at a cost as they lost promising young Spanish defender Cesar Azpilicueta to a cruciate ligament injury in the 13th minute according to the Marseille medical staff which will see him out for six months.

Alaixys Romao struck just before the hour mark to give Lorient the lead against Rennes as he tapped home after the ball had fallen to him when Rennes goalkeeper Mathieu Douchez had saved from Morgan Almafitano.

Lorient wrapped up the match five minutes from time as Jeremy Morel got on the end of Kevin Gameiro’s pass and slotted it past Douchez.

The Riviera derby ended all square as Monaco were held 1-1 at home after Korean international Chu-Young Park converted a penalty for the side from the Principality but the visitors squared the match through Eric Mouloungui after he was set up by Cameroon international Emerse Fae.

Early season pacesetters St Etienne’s form has tapered off and they were held 1-1 away at Nancy.

St Etienne took the lead through Loic Perrin in the 50th minute only for Tahitian Marama Vahirua to rifle home a leveller from long range 16 minutes later.

Valenciennes got some valuable points in their fight against relegation as they trounced hapless Arles-Avignon 3-0, to leave the losers with just one win in their 15 league matches and a paltry return of six points leaving them nine points adrift of safety.