Paris Saint-Germain extended their lead to 11 points atop the Ligue 1 standings with a 1-0 victory over Nantes, while Lyon missed the chance to claim second position following their 1-1 home draw against 10-men Angers.
In their first league match after the winter break on Sunday, PSG were without their Brazilian star Neymar due to injury. The visitors managed to break the deadlock in just 12 minutes, as Angel Di Maria profited from Kylian Mbappe's intelligent move to slot Edinson Cavani's pass into the net.
Argentine winger Di Maria saw another shot hit the cross bar in the first 45 minutes, reports Xinhua news agency.
PSG felt much more pressure from Nantes after the interval, and almost conceded an equaliser in the 60th minute. However, Emiliano Sala's header was ruled offside by the referee.
Goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu kept Nantes' hope of tying the match alive with a brilliant save on Mbappe's sweep from Dani Alves's right-flank cross with five minutes to go.
But Diego Carlos' dismissal after receiving his second yellow card signaled few chances for the hosts.
Adrien Rabiot also failed to extend PSG's lead in the stoppage time, as his shot was rejected by the post.
One goal was enough for PSG to lead defending champions Monaco by 11 points, while Nantes stayed fifth with 33 points.
Lyon had expected to get past Monaco on the second spot with a win, only to see themselves 1-0 down following Karl Toko Ekambi's spot kick in the 14th minute.
Skipper Nabil Fekir put Lyon back into the match shortly into the second half with his 14th goal of the campaign.
Angers were reduced to 10 men as their midfielder Flavien Tait was sent off with six minutes remaining, but managed to earn a point in their attempt to avoid relegation.
Elsewhere on Sunday, goals from Robert Beric and Assane Diousse earned Saint-Etienne a 2-0 victory over Toulouse.
--IANS
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