Obraniak and Hazard send Lille top of French league

Substitute Ludovic Obraniak scored seven minutes after coming on to give Lille a 2-1 win at home to Monaco on Sunday that sent them top of the French top flight for the first time this season.

The Polish international winger drove home a cutback from the excellent Eden Hazard with 12 minutes remaining to send Rudi Garcia’s men above previous table-toppers Montpellier on goal difference.

Pierre-Alain Frau had bamboozled visiting goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier with a swerving 20-yard strike from Hazard’s skillful lay-off to put the hosts ahead after 39 minutes.

Lille missed several chances to extend their lead and they were punished in the 57th minute when Brazilian defender Adriano crashed a spectacular overhead kick into the top-left corner to claim his first Monaco goal.

The home side refused to panic, however, and there was no surprise when Hazard created the winner.

The Belgian winger exchanged passes with Mathieu Debuchy before scampering to the byline on the right-hand side and pulling the ball back for Obraniak to roll the ball beneath Ruffier with his left foot.

“If we’d had a bit more luck, we would have been able to make the game safe,” said Lille coach Garcia.

“The only thing we know is that we’re in a good position to achieve our objective of finishing in the top five.”

Bordeaux held onto seventh place after an Anthony Modeste hat-trick enabled them to come from behind to win 4-2 at bottom side Arles-Avignon.

Arles took the lead in the 22nd minute through Camel Meriem, but Fabien Laurenti was sent off for blocking Wendel’s goal-bound shot with his arm and Modeste equalised from the resulting penalty.

Yoann Gouffran put the visitors in front six minutes before the break when he tapped home after Cyrille Merveille had parried Moussa Maazou’s centre.

Modeste was on target twice in the second half to complete his hat-trick, before Hameur Bouazza pulled one back for the hosts in the 89th minute.

Lyon can close to within two points of the leaders if they secure victory at second-bottom Lens, who are unbeaten in five games, in Sunday’s late game.

A goal seven minutes from time by Olivier Giroud earned Montpellier a 1-0 victory at Nice on Saturday night that temporarily took Rene Girard’s side top of the table.

Montpellier are now second, a point ahead of Paris Saint-Germain, who moved up to third with a 2-1 win at home to third-bottom Caen.

Rennes are level on points with PSG in fourth after beating former leaders Brest 2-1 in the Brittany derby, dropping the promoted side down to sixth.

Ghana international Andre Ayew struck in the 88th minute to earn Marseille a 1-0 win at Toulouse that lifted the defending champions up to fifth.

Didier Deschamps’s side are two points behind Lille, level on points with Brest and Bordeaux, but they have a game in hand at home to Rennes on December 1.