Marseille beat Lille 3-1 to boost title hopes

Olympique Marseille came from behind to boost their hopes of retaining the Ligue 1 title with a 3-1 win at Lille on Sunday.

Lille opened the scoring through Yohan Cabaye but a Loic Remy double and a Lucho Gonzalez goal after the interval pushed Marseille up to second with 18 points from 10 games, one point behind leaders Stade Rennes.

Earlier, Olympique Lyon, in 14th place seven points off the pace, failed to help coach Claude Puel in his bid to keep his job after they drew 1-1 at bottom club Arles-Avignon.

Sixth-placed Paris St Germain missed the chance to make up ground after slumping to a 3-2 home defeat against AJ Auxerre.

Marseille, who had a terrible start to the season losing their opening two matches, looked a pale shadow of their old selves in the first half but rallied after the break.

In a bad weekend for the other big guns, champions Olympique Marseille made an indifferent start.

Yohan Cabaye was twice denied by Steve Mandanda but it proved third time lucky for the midfielder midway through the first half when he latched on to an Eden Hazard cross Marseille defender Stephane Mbia failed to clear properly.

Seven minutes into the second half, France striker Remy equalised with a superb strike from just inside the box into Mickael Landreau’s top corner.

Playmaker Gonzalez’s shot from 18 metres took a slight deflection off Rio Mavuba as Marseille made it 2-1 after 71 minutes.

STUNNED

Lille looked stunned and Remy put the result beyond doubt nine minutes from time, heading home from a Benoit Cheyrou corner.

In Avignon, the Lyon players did little to help Puel’s cause and Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas is set to assess his position at the end of the month. The French champions from 2002-08 are struggling to make an impact in Ligue 1 despite taking maximum points from three Champions League games.

Striker Djedje put the home side ahead nine minutes before the break after benefiting from a Pape Diakhate blunder to fire past Hugo Lloris from close range.

Lyon levelled one minute into the second half when French international Briand headed home from a Miralem Pjanic corner.

At the Parc des Princes, hosts PSG got off to a dream start as Nene curled a superb 30-metre strike into the top corner in the opening minute.

But PSG’s terrible defending let Auxerre back into contention almost immediately. A bad clearance allowed Jean-Pascal Mignot to collect the ball in the box and fire past Apoula Edel three minutes after Nene’s goal.

The visitors went ahead in the 10th minute when Sakha Tiene was outpowered by Dennis Oliech following a through ball from Cedric Hengbart. Poland striker Oliech’s cross found Roy Contout in the area for Auxerre’s second.

It was 3-1 midway through the first half when Julien Quercia beat the offside trap to slot the ball past Edel.

Nene reduced the arrears from the spot in the 68th.