Lyon and Marseille falter in title race

Paris Saint-Germain FC's nearest challengers did their best to help the league leaders enjoy their Sunday off, as Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille both dropped points.

Second-placed Lyon had the chance to cut PSG's lead to three points but suffered a second consecutive Ligue 1 defeat in losing 3-1 to LOSC Lille at the Stade de Gerland. Aurélien Chedjou headed the opener for the visitors from Dimitri Payet's corner, before Florent Balmont doubled the advantage from range before the break. Salomon Kalou scored from the spot after the interval, meaning Lisandro's penalty was too little too late for the hosts.

Marseille's title aspirations suffered another blow as they lost Kassim Abdallah and Jordan Ayew to second-half red cards in a 1-1 draw with Évian Thonon Gaillard FC, leaving Elie Baup's third-placed charges eight points adrift of the top. The mood was optimistic when André-Pierre Gignac took receipt of Mathieu Valbuena's pass and swept in shortly after the break. The pendulum swung in favour of the home side, though, as Yannick Sagbo Latte scored from the spot after Abdallah was sent off, before Ayew followed suit for a second bookable offence.

Stade Rennais FC went fifth thanks to a 2-0 success against Toulouse FC, as Romain Alessandrini and Mevlüt Erdinç got the goals in the final 11 minutes.