Pauleta brace sinks Rennes
The former Deportivo hit-man was unstoppable last term, but has failed to hit top form so far this season due to Bordeaux's slow start.
However, the star was back to his best as he scored goals after 30 minutes and another 76 to complete the win.
The visitors' misery was compounded when they finished the match with only ten men as Philipp Delaye was sent-off. Marseille missed the chance to close the gap on the front-runners after being held to a goalless draw away to Guingamp.
A solitary Stephane Ziani goal just four minutes after half-time was enough to lift Nantes to a 1-0 away win over Lille.
Montpellier boosted their survival prospects with a 2-0 home win over Sedan, despite finishing the contest with only 10 men.
Habid Bamogo fired the home side ahead after half an hour, before Eric Guei doubled Monpellier's advantage with a second from the spot.
Sedan were given a glimmer of hope Valery Mezague was sent-off for receiving a second yellow card, however the home defence held out.
Paris Saint Germain missed the chance to close the gap at the top after a late Keremy Mathieu goal earned Sochaux a share of the spoils at the Parc Des Princes.
Nigerian international Bartholomew Ogbeche fired the home side ahead on 64 minutes, and that goal looked to be enough to earn the Parisians all three points before Mathieu's late intervention.
Goals from Yannick Fischer and Christian Bassila helped Strasbourg earned a 2-0 home win over Lens.
Troyes earned only their second win of the season following a 3-0 home win over Bastia in a tempered affair.
Nicolas Gousse was the hero for the struggling outfit netting a brace, however the second half will be remembered for the double sending-off of Benjamin Nivet and Cyril Jeunechamp in a match littered with bookings.
When the football re-started the win was complete when Mamadou Niang scored with the last kick of the game to put the icing on the cake.
Click here for Le Championnat match stats:
Bordeaux 2 Rennes 0
Guingamp 0 Marseille 0
Lille 0 Nantes 1
Montpellier 2 Sedan 0
PSG 1 Sochaux 1
Strasbourg 2 Lens 0
Troyes 3 Bastia 0
Click here for an updated French League table
