Olympique de Marseille are five points clear of AJ Auxerre at the top of Ligue 1 ahead of next weekend's game between the two after both recorded victories on Sunday.

OM needed late goals to secure victory in each of their last two league games but did the damage far earlier against lowly AS Saint-Etienne, Mathieu Valbuena scoring for the second successive game after six minutes. His fifth goal of the campaign proved enough for Didier Deschamps' side to register their seventh straight league win. Their visitors, though, are yet to assure themselves of top-flight safety, sitting eight points clear of the relegation zone with four games remaining.

Auxerre stuck to their part of the bargain earlier on, beating Toulouse FC 3-0 thanks, in part, to two goals from Ireneusz Jeleń. Benoît Pedretti had given the visitors the lead two minutes after half-time before the Polish striker doubled his side's advantage with a thumping volley on 68 minutes and slid in 13th Ligue 1 goal of the season 11 minutes from time. RC Lens and Valenciennes FC drew 1-1 in the day's other game.