Marseille hit Metz for 6

Marseille secured a huge three points over strugglers Metz on Friday evening, in a topsy-turvy encounter that produced nine goals and featured a hat-trick for the in-form Florian Thauvin.

The victory enabled Les Phocéens to move up to second in Ligue 1, overtaking Lyon in the process and currently sit eleven points behind imperious leaders PSG.

The tone was set for the evening in the first nine minutes, with Rudi Garcia’s side scoring two goals in quick succession to assume control of the game from the outset.

The first came courtesy of Morgan Sansom, who took advantage of some poor defending from Metz in the penalty area, giving the home side the lead in the sixth minute. Sansom was involved again just moments later, crossing to Thauvin- who was able to tuck away a tidy side-footed volley past Metz’s helpless goalkeeper, Eiji Kawashima.

The former Newcastle United winger has been directly involved in 18 goals of his last 19 appearances, scoring 10 and assisting 8. In such form, he was always likely to flourish in this encounter, duly notching his second just before half-time, despite Moussa Niakhate’s desperate attempts to clear.

The points were assured at the start of the second-half, Valere Germain delicately finishing via the post; and shortly after Thauvin completed his hat-trick (his second for the club), neatly converting a header from an exquisite Dimitri Payet cross, in a dominant spell for Marseille.

Defensive flaws were highlighted in the final quarter to slightly cloud a commanding Marseille display. Florent Mollett responded for Metz with a brace, either side of a sixth-goal from Kostas Mitroglou. Ibrahima Niane pulled a third back in stoppage-time to restore some respectability to the scoreline for Metz, who remain bottom and sit an ominous seven points away from a survival position.

Monaco complete unlikely comeback with 10-men

There was a thriller at the Stade Louis II between the other two clubs competing for Champions League places- Monaco and Lyon.

Bruno Génésio’s side made the perfect start in the South of France, acquiring a 2-0 lead within the first half-hour. The first from an audacious, deflected effort from Mariano Diaz, shortly followed by Bertrand Traoré’s close-range finish from Ferland Mendy’s cross.

Lyon held their lead for less than ten minutes. Keita Balde surged forward on a slaloming run and powered an unstoppable low drive past Anthony Lopes. Moments later, Mendy’s needless tug on Kamil Glik enabled Radamel Falcao to draw Monaco level from the penalty-spot, notching his 17^th goal of the season in the process.

The Ligue 1 champions suffered another significant setback, as the goal-scorer Baldé was sent off shortly before half-time for a second bookable offence in the space of four minutes.

Leonardo Jardim’s side were not fazed by the numerical inferiority and completed a remarkable comeback in the 88^th-minute. Stevan Jovetic combined with Rony Lopes, who fired in a rasping low shot past his namesake in the Lyon goal- moving the Champions into third position, one point behind Marseille.

PSG march on

It is 18 goals in 19 games for Neymar, who was on target at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in PSG’s commanding 3-0 win over Lille, to reassume their 11-point lead at the summit of Ligue 1.

The Brazilian scored with a superbly taken 77^th-minute free-kick to seal all three points for Unai Emery’s title-charging side. This came after Yuri Berchiche had taken advantage of Lille’s failure to clear, netting a low shot on the stroke of half-time. Argentine Giovani La Celso delivered Les Parisiens’ coup de grâce, minutes from the end with a superb lob over Mike Maignan from the edge of the penalty area.