Lens leapfrogged reigning French and European champions Paris Saint-Germain at the top of Ligue 1 with an Odsonne Edouard-inspired 2-0 win over crisis-club Nice on Sunday.
Pierre Sage’s upstarts have been the surprise packages of the season so far in France and entered the weekend top of the pile until PSG’s nervy 3-2 victory over lowly Metz on Saturday provisionally returned the Qatari-backed club to the summit of the table.
But Lens once again took over top spot with their sixth consecutive win in the league to move to 37 points, one ahead of PSG, and ensure that they will sit atop the Ligue 1 tree over the winter break.
“We’ve been defending (top spot) for the last three matchdays and (it was) a great performance that we’ll try to maintain,” Lens coach Sage said.
“We’ll be celebrating Christmas in first place, which is wonderful for everyone in the area.”
Former Celtic and Crystal Palace striker Edouard scored a brace with headers either side of the break to set Lens on their way.
The opener was a sublime glancing effort on the quarter-hour that looped over the helpless Yehvann Diouf and dropped in under the crossbar after Edouard had met Matthieu Udol’s cross.
The duo combined again on 57 minutes, with Edouard this time popping up unmarked at the back post, to condemn Franck Haise’s free-falling Nice to yet another defeat.
The south coast side have lost their last nine outings in all competitions and also face upcoming home matches with crowd restrictions due to repeated crowd disturbances earlier in the season.
At the end of November, a group of ultras confronted the team outside Nice’s training ground after they had lost away to Lorient and forced them off their bus before allegedly attacking some of the players.
– Lille ‘energy’ sinks Auxerre –
Marseille moved back into third with a 1-0 win over Monaco at the Stade Velodrome.
Mason Greenwood scored the winner in the 82nd minute after Monaco had earlier had two goals disallowed in controversial fashion.
Lamine Camara netted early in the second period only for the goal to be disallowed for an offside against Folarin Balogun in the build-up, although the American did not touch the ball.
Balogun then had his deft finish on 80 minutes cancelled out for a tight offside call, minutes before Greenwood netted his 11th goal of the season at the other end.
“I don’t want to discuss refereeing decisions,” Monaco boss Sebastien Pocognoli said.
“Referees are colleagues, and I don’t want to waste energy criticising colleagues. It’s part of what drags us down, but that’s the way it is.”
Lille, five points adrift of arch-rivals Lens in fourth place, won a 4-3 thriller at struggling Auxerre with both sides finishing with nine men.
A chaotic final 10 minutes threw up three goals and two red cards as Benjamin Andre’s 86th-minute winner edged Bruno Genesio’s side over the line.
“Despite being outnumbered and trailing on the scoreboard, we knew we could come back. We had the energy to believe in ourselves until the very end,” Genesio said.
“This victory reflects my team well, even if there are still many things to improve.”
Strasbourg were held to a goalless draw at home to Lorient, who moved ahead of Nice into 12th.
In the day’s early kick-off, Pavel Sulc scored the only goal as Lyon beat Le Havre.
