OMNISPORT

Maxwel Cornet's first-half double was enough to earn Lyon a 2-0 win at Montpellier on Friday and send Bruno Genesio's men up to second in Ligue 1.

The visitors have now taken 16 points from their last six league outings and climbed above Monaco - who visit Lille on Sunday - into the second automatic Champions League qualification spot by virtue of goal difference.

Montpellier made a bright start at Stade de la Mosson but found themselves behind in the 34th minute when Lyon won possession deep in their opponents' half and Jordan Ferri fed Cornet, who prodded into the bottom-left hand corner.

Six minutes later, Cornet doubled his and Lyon's tally as neat work on the edge of the box saw Alexandre Lacazette break free before selflessly squaring for his strike partner to tap into an empty net from six yards.

A good night for Lyon got even better when Nabil Fekir replaced Cornet for the final four minutes to make his first appearance since suffering a serious knee injury last September.

Defeat means Montpellier have taken just two points from their last five matches, leaving them fifth from bottom and four points clear of the relegation places.