Ligue 1 round-up: Hatem Ben Arfa hits hat-trick for Nice

Hatem Ben Arfa's sensational hat-trick moved Nice into fourth place in the Ligue 1 table as they defeated Rennes 3-0.

The former Newcastle and Hull man's purple patch continued with his seventh, eighth and nine goals in the calendar year as the hosts bounced back from last weekend's 4-1 drubbing by champions Paris Saint-Germain in style.

Ben Arfa's first of the afternoon came from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute as he kept his nerve to beat goalkeeper Benoit Costil after Sylvain Armand had brought down Jean-Michel Seri.

It was 2-0 just before half-time through Ben Arfa again when Vincent Koziello spotted his run before the in-form forward rifled in off the far post.

And Ben Arfa completed a hat-trick in the space of 24 minutes with a fine individual effort that saw him drill another shot beyond Costil from the edge of the area after he galloped forward from near halfway.

It meant Nice moved above both St Etienne and Rennes into fourth, two points behind second-placed Lyon and third-placed Monaco.

Later in the evening Marseille's winless run in the league extended to nine games as they were held to a goalless stalemate with Bordeaux that further angered their fanbase.

With French Cup semi-finalists Marseille just six points above the relegation zone and without a home league win since September, angry supporters displayed banners about the current predicament while riot police moved in during stoppage time to try and quell the trouble.

In a game of few chances, Bordeaux's Adam Ounas struck the crossbar at the end of a fine solo run.