Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc was relieved to see his stern half-time team-talk pay dividends as his side beat Valenciennes.

The win meant Bordeaux remain level on points with Marseille in the Ligue 1 title race.

VA defeated Lyon 2-0 in their last home game and they threatened to produce another upset last night when they went a goal ahead thanks to Gael Danic's 22nd-minute penalty.

Les Girondins finally woke from their torpor and after Fernando had equalised in the 38th minute, Yoann Gourcuff grabbed the winner seven minutes from time to move them back level on 71 points with OM, who are only ahead on goal difference.

Blanc admitted he was fearing the worst at half-time.

"The first 35 minutes were not good enough," he said.

"It was down to the quality of Valenciennes, who gave everything physically. And we were throwing long balls forward, like Valenciennes do.'

"During the interval, I said to the players that if we kept on playing like that, we had no chance of winning this match.

"By the 35th minute, I didn't see how we could turn things around. We were asking ourselves how we could put this team under pressure."

With three rounds of fixtures remaining, it looks to be a two-horse race for the title, with third-placed Lyon still seven points adrift.

With Marseille winning 2-0 at Nice, Blanc admits the status quo has largely been maintained.

"It is good for you (the media), for everyone," he added.

"Marseille won at Nice, which they had to. So well done to them. It makes this a nothing round of fixtures, except (qualification for) the Champions League moving a step closer.

"It is important to maintain that gap to third place."

Bordeaux take on Le Mans on Saturday evening.