By Paul Higham
Lyon maintained their stranglehold on the French title with a 2-0 at home to Metz.
Lyon have won the French league for the last three years, and their reign could be extended further as they enjoy a six-point lead at the top of the table.
Paul Le Guen's men needed to battle hard against a stubborn Metz side, and did not find a breakthrough until the final ten minutes, when Juninho and Bryan Bergougnoux scored to give Lyon the points.
Lille remain in second place after they registered a 3-1 win at Bordeaux, thanks to goals from Mathieu Debuchy, Philippe Brunel and Johan Audel, with Marouane Chamakh hitting a late consolation for the hosts.
Third-placed Monaco enjoyed an emphatic 5- 2 victory at home to struggling Caen, with Mohammed Kallon hitting a brace to add to goals from Sisenado Maicon, Javier Saviola and Jaroslav Plasil.
Cyril Watierhad levelled the score at 1-1 before the Monaco onslaught, and Reynald Lemaiture fired a late goal for Caen, who are just a point above the drop zone.
Ajaccio came out on top in the Coriscan derby, with Mamadou Seck grabbing the all-important goal for the hosts, although both sides remain in the bottom three.
Istres stay bottom despite a 1-0 victory at Lens, with Rafik Saifi hitting the winner.
Auxerre secured a 2-0 win at home over ten-man Sochaux, for who Souleymane Diawara was handed a straight red card for a tackle from behind on Luigi Pieroni.
Kange Akale and Pieroni hit the goals for Guy Roux's side, who remain in fourth.
Nantes enjoyed a valuable 2-0 win at home to Rennes, with Claudio Keseru and a Nicolas Savinaud penalty earning the three points to help their fight against relegation.
Toulouse lost ground on the top four, who all won, after they were held to a goalless draw in the capital against Paris Saint Germain.
Mamadou Niang scored after just eight minutes to give Strasbourg the lead at home to St Etienne, but the visitors earned a 1-1 draw courtesy of Vincent Hognon's strike.
Match Summaries:
Ajaccio v Bastia
Auxerre v Sochaux
Bordeaux v Lille
Lens v Istres
Lyon v Metz
Monaco v Caen
Nantes v Rennes
PSG v Toulouse
Strasbourg v St Etienne

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| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 13th February | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| 20:00 | Lyon vs Lens |
| Tuesday 16th February | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Lyon vs Real Madrid |
| Sunday 21st February | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| 16:00 | Sochaux vs Lyon |
| Saturday 27th February | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| 18:00 | Lyon vs Nice |
| Saturday 6th March | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| 18:00 | Boulogne vs Lyon |
| Wednesday 10th March | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Real Madrid vs Lyon |
| Saturday 13th March | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| 18:00 | Lyon vs St Etienne |
| Sunday 21st March | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| 18:00 | Marseille vs Lyon |
| Sunday 28th March | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| 18:00 | Lyon vs Grenoble |
| Saturday 3rd April | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| 18:00 | Rennes vs Lyon |
| Saturday 10th April | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| 18:00 | Lyon vs Lille |
| Saturday 17th April | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| 18:00 | Bordeaux vs Lyon |
| Saturday 24th April | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| 18:00 | Lyon vs Monaco |
| Sunday 2nd May | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| 18:00 | Montpellier vs Lyon |
| Wednesday 5th May | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| 18:00 | Lyon vs Auxerre |
| Saturday 8th May | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| 18:00 | Valenciennes vs Lyon |
| Saturday 15th May | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| 18:00 | Lyon vs Le Mans |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 7th February | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| Toulouse 0 - 0 Lyon | |
| Sunday 31st January | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| Lyon 2 - 1 PSG | |
| Wednesday 20th January | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| Lorient 1 - 3 Lyon | |
| Saturday 16th January | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| AS Nancy 0 - 2 Lyon | |
| Wednesday 23rd December | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| Lyon 1 - 2 Montpellier | |
| Sunday 20th December | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| Monaco 1 - 1 Lyon | |
| Wednesday 16th December | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| Lyon 2 - 0 Boulogne | |
| Sunday 13th December | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| Lyon 0 - 1 Bordeaux | |
| Wednesday 9th December | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Lyon 4 - 0 Debrecen | |
| Sunday 6th December | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| Lille 4 - 3 Lyon | |
| Sunday 29th November | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| Lyon 1 - 1 Rennes | |
| Tuesday 24th November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Fiorentina 1 - 0 Lyon | |
| Saturday 21st November | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| Grenoble 1 - 1 Lyon | |
| Sunday 8th November | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| Lyon 5 - 5 Marseille | |
| Wednesday 4th November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Lyon 1 - 1 Liverpool | |
| Saturday 31st October | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| St Etienne 0 - 1 Lyon | |
| Saturday 24th October | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| Nice 4 - 1 Lyon | |
| Tuesday 20th October | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Liverpool 1 - 2 Lyon | |
| Saturday 17th October | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| Lyon 0 - 2 Sochaux | |
| Saturday 3rd October | |
| French Ligue 1 | |
| Lens 0 - 2 Lyon | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Montpellier | 23 | 45 |
| 3 | Lille | 23 | 41 |
| 4 | Lyon | 23 | 40 |
| 5 | Marseille | 22 | 39 |
| 6 | Monaco | 23 | 39 |
Barca had two men sent off, Robbie Keane scored for Celtic while FC Twente finally lost in Holland.
Spain's big two both won, Rangers remain 10 points clear while AC Milan were held at home.
Stunning Cork City fan Lisa-Marie was strutting her stuff in the Soccer AM studios on Saturday.
Lorik Cana has expressed his delight after Albania were pitted against France in Euro 2012 qualifying.
Lyon squandered the chance to climb into the top three as St Etienne shocked Monaco.
Montpellier reduced the deficit at the top after winning away to Boulogne as leaders Bordeaux lost.
Loic Remy admits he was disappointed not to see a move to Lyon in January finalised.
Auxerre extended their impressive unbeaten run to seven games on Sunday, while Lyon saw off PSG.