Striker Wissam Ben Yedder came off the bench to score twice as Monaco beats last-place Dijon 3-0 to stay third in the French league on Sunday.
Fourth-place Lyon beats Angers 3-0 to remain one point behind Monaco in the chase for third and a slot in the Champions League qualifying rounds, although both teams are also fighting Paris Saint-Germain and Lille for the title itself.
Lille is three points ahead of second-place PSG, four ahead of Monaco and five clear of Lyon, with six games remaining in the most open championship race for many years.
Netherlands forward Memphis Depay scored twice for Lyon, which travels to Monaco early next month.
ALSO READ | AC Milan beats Parma 3-1, Ibrahimovic sent off
While coach Niko Kovac's consistent Monaco has lost once in the past 20 games overall, Dijon endured a 13th straight defeat and looks doomed to relegation.
Following a dour first half, Kovac brought on Ben Yedder and he was soon tripped for a penalty in the 48th minute. Ben Yedder's spot kick was saved but forward Stevan Jovetic followed up to finish from close range.
Ben Yedder netted in the 62nd when Dijon failed to clear the ball properly and Aleksandr Golovin sent him through on goal. He then added a late penalty to make it 3-0 and reach 17 league goals. Only Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe has more with 21.
DEPAY'S DOUBLE
Depay's brace moved him onto 16 league goals and 18 in 34 games overall in what may prove to be his final games with Lyon, after he almost joined Barcelona during the offseason.
His first goal came in the 20th, when he tucked home the rebound after Brazil midfielder Lucas Paqueta's shot hit the post.
Depay's second was superb as he latched onto Paqueta's defense-splitting pass, then casually chipped the goalkeeper from the edge of the area with exceptional technique in the 82nd.
After a shaky start, it proved a dominant performance from Lyon after some inconsistent form recently.
Paqueta set up forward Karl Toko Ekambi in the 37th, but the goal was ruled out because Paqueta handled the ball before crossing it.
Toko Ekambi turned provider three minutes later when he dribbled down the left and helped Paqueta to score at the back post in the 40th.
Striker Islam Slimani thought he'd made it 3-0 in the 77th, but his goal was ruled out because Toko Ekambi was narrowly offside when he passed to him.
OTHER MATCHES
Fifth-place Lens had five players out with coronavirus for the home game against Lorient, but still won 4-1.
Time is running out for Nantes, which won the last of its eight league titles 20 years ago but is languishing in 19th after losing 1-0 at Rennes.
Winger Martin Terrier netted early in the second half for seventh-place Rennes with a superb curling shot into the top right corner from the left of the penalty area.
Rennes is one point behind sixth-place Marseille but still four points behind Lens in the chase for fifth and a Europa League spot.
Saint-Etienne is closer to midtable after beating Bordeaux 4-1.
Playing against his former club, Saint-Etienne winger Wahbi Khazri scored a hat trick after South Korea striker Hwang Ui-jo gave Bordeaux an early lead from the penalty spot. Saint-Etienne travels to PSG next weekend.
Also Sunday, it was: Brest 1, Nimes 1; and Nice 0, Reims 0.
PSG won 4-1 at Strasbourg on Saturday.
Comments
SHARE