The leaders negotiated a tricky away trip with calm and poise. The team in second made such a splash that you’d be forgiven for thinking they were the leaders. Back in third, a dramatic win that would have been the dominant headline in any other weekend almost crept under the radar as the squad making up the podium kept pace.
Yes, the title race in Ligue 1 really is alive and kicking, with nine games left to go and only three points the difference between the top three. Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and even Nice are locked in for the long haul. Lyon, who occupy fourth spot, have rattled in 20 goals in their last four games in all competitions but are still way adrift, trailing third-placed Nice by 13 points, albeit with a game in hand. The leading trio are not for turning.
Among their three results at the weekend, leaders Monaco’s win at Guingamp was arguably the most impressive, even though many would have expected them to take the three points. Antoine Kombouaré’s team may not be glamorous, but they are enterprising. Even after a run of six defeats in nine games in all competitions going into this one, they presented a tough challenge at Roudourou, having already beaten PSG and Lyon on home turf this season.
When you factored in Monaco’s hard week, punctuated by an exhausting Champions League struggle with Manchester City that will live long in the memory, this seemed set up for a shock, with the energy provided by full-backs Jordan Ikoko and Marçal a potential threat. In the event, Almamy Touré and Djibril Sidibé showed great stamina to push high and restrict their opportunities to attack as the player average position map shows.
Once again, Leonardo Jardim’s side showed their capacity to be highly creative without dominating possession, having only 44.2% of the ball but mustering 14 attempts at goal to their hosts’ five - and bear in mind one of the latter was Étienne Didot’s late screamer, by which time the game was done.
PSG and Unai Emery shuffled their pack too for Le Classique, with Julian Draxler and Ángel Di María both starting out on the bench, and the coach’s changes made a real difference. The class gap between the champions and Marseille was evident, but so too was Emery’s increasing mastery of the enviable resources available to him. Javier Pastore, brought in for just a fourth Ligue 1 start of the season, was instrumental to the Parisians’ ability to take control of the game during his 55 minutes on the field, assisting Edinson Cavani’s crucial goal and making three key passes.
On the other side, Lucas Moura, making his presence felt after being overlooked for the Champions League first leg against Barcelona, was the star man, rating 9.06. He ran Patrice Evra ragged in the first half, drawing a yellow card for the former Juventus man, and made five key passes. He also had three efforts at goal - all on target - and was a fitting scorer of the third goal, which finished the game. The Brazilian is a symbol of the true competition that exists in Emery’s squad.
So to Nice, who were overshadowed a touch by the big two’s efforts. They were also close to losing ground, trailing to Steve Mounié’s opener for Montpellier for an hour at Allianz Riviera. Without top scorer Alessane Pléa, who is out injured for the season, and the banned Mário Balotelli, it looked bleak.
Enter Mickaël Le Bihan. The forward was signed for Nice from Le Havre by Lucien Favre’s predecessor Claude Puel in September 2015, and suffered a double leg fracture three weeks later. That was the last we’d seen of him until Saturday when, after a 17-month absence, the 26-year-old came on as a substitute for the last half-hour, replacing young Anastasios Donis.
Le Bihan’s impact was astonishing, scoring twice from his only two efforts at goal to turn the match around for a hitherto blunt-looking team. Nice are always tidy - owning 55% of possession here, and completing 90% of their passes. It looked as if running out of forward options would cost them, but the quality of Le Bihan’s runs was as noticeable as his smooth finishing. Favre suddenly has another possibility available to him.
It’s a welcome reminder, anyway, that Ligue 1 isn’t a two-horse race. The perception has been that Nice’s flame had fizzled out, mainly on the back of restarting their campaign in 2017 with successive draws, losing the derby at Monaco earlier in the month and Balotelli’s drift from his best form. The Italian has scored once and received two red cards in his last six outings, stretching back to December.
While a Balotelli renaissance would help Nice, they are not reliant on him, and never have been. Their strength is in their collective, and their nerve centre is intact, with Jean-Michael Seri bossing midfield against Montpellier with another 103 touches. The most important number, of course, is that are level on points with PSG, and just three behind Monaco.
The top two have plenty of their own mettle, of course, as well as quality. This fascinating race promises to go the whole way, with Paris’ visit to Nice on the weekend on April 30 standing out as a potential highlight. All that we know is that two excellent teams will miss out when it’s all done.
