PARIS, Nov 14 (AFP) - Lyon put distance between themselves and the chasing pack after closest rivals Lille were held to a 1-1 draw by Monaco on Sunday.
Lyon, seeking a fourth straight title, collected all three points when brushing aside Nantes 2-0 on Saturday, but Lille were unable to follow suit at their Metropole stadium.
Uruguayan striker Javier Ernesto Chevanton put Monaco - winners of the 2000 French championship when coached by Lille's manager Claude Puel - in front with a right-footed rocket shot from 20 metres on the half hour.
This was the 24-year-old summer recruit from Serie A outfit Lecce's first goal since the opening day of the season.
But last season's Champions League runners-up were soon back on level terms when Christophe Landrin beat off the attentions of the visitors' defence to hustle the ball into the back of Flavio Roma's net two minutes from the break.
The result extended Monaco's winnerless sequence to seven and maintained Lille's unbeaten record at home since the start of the season.
Lyon's win over Nantes left Paul Le Guen's highflyers on 32 points, three clear of Lille, while Monaco lie fifth.
Pierre-Alain Frau set triple champions Lyon up nicely a minute into the second half when he pounced on a weak backpass by Nantes' Alexander Viveros to keeper Mickael Landreau.
France international Sidney Govou then wrapped up the three points a quarter of an hour later, Brazilian Juninho setting up the move with Govou's angled shot foxing Landreau.
This was the perfect antidote to Lyon's first loss of the season in any competition - Wednesday's 3-2 League Cup defeat to Lille.
Lyon have now gone 14 league games unbeaten, and they are also undefeated in the Champions League where they have already done enough to qualify for the knockout stages wiith two group ties remaining.
This latest victory was all the more noteworthy given their injury problems with Le Guen unable to count on the services of defender Eric Abidal (knee), midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa (collarbone), striker Sylvain Wiltord (right thigh muscle tear), goalkeeper Gregory Coupet and defender Claudio Cacapa.
Marseille, shocked by back-to-back losses to bitter rivals Paris Saint Germain in the past week, reacted with a 2-0 win at home against Strasbourg, but whether that was enough to save coach Jose Anigo's job will be known this week.
Marseille avoided the wrath of their home fans at their Velodrome stadium who had called for a boycott of the match against Strasbourg after their elimination from the League Cup to PSG.
But two second half goals from Habib Bamogo and Sergio Koke appeased the situation and allowed Marseille to temporarily take fifth place in the championship.
PSG meanwhile fell back to earth with a 3-0 loss at Bordeaux.
An own goal by PSG defender Stephane Pichot opened the scoring in favour of the hosts after six minutes of play.
Bordeaux, ending a six match losing run, got off to a lively second half with Lilian Laslandes claiming the second goal three minutes later.
The hosts wrapped up the tie when Julien Faubert found Laslandes and then Cyril Rool with Lionel Letizi driving home after 77 minutes.
The win moves Bordeaux up one spot to seventh position with 20 points, as PSG drop two spots to 12th place.
Third-placed Auxerre, five matches without a win, kept in touch with the leaders with a goal from captain Yann Lachuer after 59 minutes giving them a hard fought 1-0 win at home against Ajaccio which leaves the Burgundy outfit seven points behind Lyon.
Sochaux in fourth were held to a 1-1 draw at home to tailenders Istres, who looked as if they were on their way to their first victory of the season until an own goal from their defender David Hamed seven minutes from time.
Saint-Etienne claimed a 3-0 win at Bastia, as Caen achieved their first away win 2-1 at Metz.

11/14/2004 22:26 GMT - AFP