Ludovic Obraniak scored a late winning goal Sunday as Lille downed Monaco 2-1 to move top of the French league.
The Poland midfielder beat goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier in the 78th minute after Eden Hazard had outpaced the defense on the right flank to cut the ball back for Obraniak.
Lille and Montpellier both have 24 points from 14 matches but Lille takes top spot on goal difference.
"Things can change quickly in the next couple of weeks," Lille coach Rudi Garcia said. "We're sticking to our plan, which is to finish in the top five."
Bordeaux beat 10-man Arles-Avignon 4-2 after a hat trick from Anthony Modeste, and Lyon rallied past Lens 3-1 with two goals from Bafetimbi Gomis. Lyon and Bordeaux have 22 points each.
In Lille, Hazard played Pierre-Alain Frau in with a backheel flick, and the Lille forward skipped past Sebastien Puygrenier before firing home in the 39th.
Monaco fullback Adriano leveled with a bicycle kick in the 57th after the defense had failed to clear a free kick.
Lens winger Kanga Akale slipped the ball past France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the 24th. Gomis, who has been booed by Lyon supporters this season, volleyed home for the equalizer in the 64th.
"Was it revenge? Yes and no," Gomis told Canal Plus television. "I've always had the trust of my president and manager. They've always supported me through hard times."
The Lyon forward scored again with a header in the 73rd. Argentine striker Lisandro Lopez sealed the win in the 89th.
Camel Meriem opened the scoring for last-place Arles-Avignon with a low shot in the 22nd.
The hosts were reduced to 10 men when defender Fabien Laurenti stopped a goal-bound strike from Geraldo Wendel with his arm in the 33rd. Modeste converted the penalty by sending goalkeeper Cyrille Merville the wrong way.
Yoan Gouffran gave Bordeaux the lead in the 39th, tucking the ball into an empty net after Merville could only divert a cross from Niger striker Moussa Maazou.
Modeste made it 3-1 in the 59th from a pass by Gouffran, before notching his sixth goal of the season in the 88th. Hameur Bouazza scored a minute later to cut the deficit to 4-2.
On Saturday, it was: Nice 0, Montpellier 1; Paris Saint-Germain 2, Caen 1; Rennes 2, Brest 1; Toulouse 0, Marseille 1; Saint-Etienne 1, Auxerre 1; Sochaux 2, Lorient 0; Nancy 2, Valenciennes 0.
In the first half, Lyon struggled to create space as Lens pressed high up the pitch.
Lens midfielder Sebastien Roudet intercepted a headed clearance from Lyon center back Pape Diakhate to be clean through on goal in the 16th. As Lloris quickly came off his line, Roudet collided into the goalkeeper. The referee turned down a penalty appeal.
Lyon was in trouble on another counterattack. Left back Aly Cissokho attempted to intercept a pass from Roudet, but could only divert the ball into the path of Akale, who skipped past Diakhate and beat Lloris with a low shot in the 24th.
"We didn't play at all in the first half," Lyon manager Claude Puel said. "It's quite a paradox to have a first half of poor quality and then a great second half with wonderful plays and goals."
Puel replaced Miralem Pjanic and Jeremy Pied with Yoann Gourcuff and Lopez at halftime.
Gomis in the 60th set up Gourcuff, but the France playmaker sliced his half-volley wide from 14 yards.
The Lens defense cracked when Jimmy Briand fed Makoun inside the area in the 64th. The Cameroon midfielder teed up Gomis to volley inside the far post.
Lyon nearly added a second goal in the 69th from a free kick by Gourcuff, but defender Dejan Lovren's header crashed against the post.
Gourcuff held off a challenge from Eric Chelle in the 73rd to cross for Gomis, who nodded home from six yards.
Lens remained in the relegation zone with 14 points.
