Ligue 1 wrap: Angers bounces back to sink Monaco
Angers beat Monaco 3-0 to breathe new life into the battle for second in Ligue 1, while Montpellier began Frederic Hantz's reign in style.
Captain Cheikh N'Doye netted a brace as Angers closed the gap on Monaco in the battle for second place in Ligue 1 with a dominant 3-0 win over its rival.
N'Doye was on target from close range twice before half-time before Mohamed Yattara, a loan signing from Standard Liege this month, opened his Angers account 10 minutes into the second half to seal the points.
The win ends a run of three consecutive defeats in all competitions for Stephane Moulin's side, which was thrashed 5-1 by runaway leader Paris Saint-Germain last week, and moves it to within two points of second-placed Monaco.
Frederic Hantz got off to an ideal start as Montpellier coach, masterminding a 4-0 triumph at fellow struggler Gazalec Ajaccio.
Mustapha Yatabare latched on to Ryan Boudebouz's long ball to open the scoring after 14 minutes and Jonas Martin converted a 41st-minute penalty.
Bryan Dabo won the spot-kick and went on to net a second-half double, lifting Montpellier out of the bottom three, where it is replaced by Reims, 2-0 loser at Lorient after a two-goal haul from Zargo Toure.
Lyon's miserable campaign continued as Brandao scored to give Bastia a 1-0 win over the seven-time champion, which has won just once in its past 10 Ligue 1 matches.
Guingamp and Nantes were both winners in their respective matches against the division's bottom two sides, Toulouse and Troyes.