Marseille and Bordeaux kept up their intriguing duel at the summit of Ligue 1 as both posted crucial wins on the road.

Marseille and Bordeaux kept up their intriguing duel at the summit of Ligue 1 as both posted crucial wins on the road this evening.

Bordeaux were made to battle hard for their 2-1 victory against Valenciennes, Yoann Gourcuff hitting the winner six minutes from time in a match which saw the hosts finish with nine men.

Gael Danic's 21st-minute penalty set Valenciennes on course for a potential surprise result but Fernando Menegazzo pulled Les Girondins level six minutes before the break before Gourcuff struck late on.

Siaka Tiene and Luigi Pieroni saw red for the hosts in the closing minutes to kill off any chance of a fightback.

Bordeaux's win ensured they remain level on points - now 71 - with leaders Marseille, who maintained their push for the title with a 2-0 victory over local rivals Nice.

Mamadou Niang and Brandao were on the scoresheet as the leaders claimed their fifth win in six matches and the bragging rights in the Mediterranean derby.

With just three games remaining, two goals are all that separate the squabbling leaders.

At the other end of the table, Le Havre's relegation to Ligue 2 was confirmed after a 4-2 home defeat to St Etienne.

Mamadou Diallo and Massamba Sambou netted to put the hosts in the ascendancy after Ilan had given Les Verts a fourth-minute lead. But Moustapha Bayal, Kevin Mirallas and Emmanuel Riviere were on target in the second half to seal a comeback triumph.

Elsewhere, Paris St Germain stayed in the hunt for a Champions League spot thanks to a narrow 1-0 victory at Le Mans, Mateja Kezman's goal enough to move them back within a point of third-placed Lyon, who won 3-0 against Nantes last night.

Sochaux improved their chances of beating relegation with a 3-0 defeat of Monaco.

Francis Gillot's side triumphed thanks to goals from Marvin Martin and Vaclav Sverkos, either side of Francois Joseph Modesto's own goal.

Rennes rebounded from their disappointing Coupe de France final defeat with a 1-0 victory over Caen, Petter Hansson grabbing the only goal in the second half.

Caen slip back into the bottom three after results elsewhere also went against them.

Auxerre leapfrogged Nice into eighth thanks to a 2-0 win over Grenoble, Ireneusz Jelen's brace either side of the break doing the damage.

Nancy squandered a two-goal lead and finished the game with 10 men after a double by Kevin Gameiro rescued a point for Lorient in a 2-2 draw.

The hosts went ahead after 27 minutes when Rafik Saifi headed into his own net but they were reduced to 10 men when Abdeslam Ouaddou was sent off for a tackle on Gameiro.

Joel Sami doubled the lead two minutes after the break but the deficit was halved six minutes later when Gameiro beat Nancy goalkeeper Damien Gregorini in a one on one.

The game was level after 81 minutes when Gameiro scored from close range.

Finally, Toulouse and Lille both saw their European hopes take a knock as they fought out a scoreless draw.