Giroud treble fires Montpellier top

Montpellier Hérault SC returned to the top of Ligue 1 with their tenth top-flight win of the campaign at the expense of FC Sochaux-Montbéliard.

Olivier Giroud's second-half hat-trick − his second treble of the season − did the damage in a 3-1 win that takes René Girard's men three points clear of Paris Saint-Germain FC, who visit Olympique de Marseille on Sunday, and the 25-year-old forward three goals ahead of his nearest challenger in the division's scorers' charts.

LOSC Lille Métropole and Stade Rennais FC are two points further back after respective home victories against Stade Brestois 29 and Évian Thonon Gaillard FC. Dimitri Payet (11) and Moussa Sow (88) were on target for Lille, while Rennes required Julien Féret's late penalty to triumph 3-2.

Elsewhere, Toulouse FC are up to fifth following a 2-0 win against Valenciennes FC, FC Girondins de Bordeaux won by the same scoreline against SM Caen, while AS Saint-Étienne (3-1) and Dijon FCO (2-1) overcame AC Ajaccio and AS Nancy-Lorraine respectively.