Unbeaten Marseille keep up pressure on Lyon

Marseille, the only unbeaten team in the French league, swept to a 3-1 win at Valenciennes on Sunday to close the gap on champions Lyon to just one point.

Baky Kone gave Marseille the lead after just 12 minutes, nodding in from close range after Mathieu Valbuena had seen a drive come back off the crossbar.

Highly-rated international Hatem Ben Arfa made it 2-0 in the 72nd minute after dancing past his markers but Valenciennes, who had never previously lost to Marseille at home, pulled one back eight minutes later through Gregory Pujol.

Charles Kabore, however, settled Marseille nerves with a decisive third goal in the fourth minute of injury time as Eric Gerets' side, who tackle PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday, moved to 19 points from nine matches.

“We have a lot of good players and this win will give us great confidence for the match with PSV,” said Ben Arfa.

“PSV have great technique and are very well organised.”

On Saturday, seven-time champions Lyon needed right back Fabio Grosso to save them from a second successive league defeat by scoring the equaliser in a 2-2 draw against Lille.

The Italian, who returned after six weeks out with a rib injury, fired home left-footed and unmarked at the far post from a Juninho corner.

Lyon, who lost to Rennes 3-0 two weeks ago, never really imposed themselves during the match, paying for the luxury of not fielding top striker Karim Benzema for an hour.

Adil Rami opened the scoring for Lille in the 14th minute before Aurelien Chedjou scored an own goal to equalise nine minutes later. Michel Bastos put Lille ahead once more in the 62nd minute before Grosso got the winner with a quarter-hour to go.

Unfashionable Le Mans are third on goal difference, but three points behind Lyon, after a 2-0 win over Nancy on Sunday.

They have 17 points as do Bordeaux who beat fifth-placed Toulouse 2-1 on Saturday with Yoann Gourcuff, on loan from AC Milan, netting the opener in the 29th minute.

Bordeaux, unbeaten at home this season, were 2-0 in front thanks to David Bellion 10 minutes from half-time with Etienne Capoue grabbing a consolation in injury time for Toulouse.

Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc refused to go too overboard over the good performance of Gourcuff however.

“Yoann Gourcuff?” Blanc said. “He played well, like the others. Let's hope he continues like that. Every player did well in the role they were given.”