Rennes beat Toulouse 3-1 on Sunday to move above Saint-Etienne and into first place in the French league.
Rennes took the lead moments before halftime when Romain Danze finished off a smart move after running on to a pass from winger Sylvain Marveaux and smashing the ball into the left corner.
Kader Mangane made it 2-0 in the 77th when he headed in Jerome Leroy's curling free kick.
Stephane Dalmat and Yann Mvila had both gone close for Rennes before that but were denied by Toulouse goalkeeper Mathieu Valverde.
Moussa Sissoko had Toulouse's best chance of the first half when he fired just wide from Daniel Braaten's cross.
Marveaux looked lively throughout the match and set up further chances for Victor Hugo Montano and Jires Ekoko before completing the scoring with a penalty in the 81st minute.
Sissoko pulled a late goal back with two minutes remaining with a low finish into the bottom corner.
Earlier, Striker Moussa Sow scored twice as Lille beat Montpellier 3-1 to stay unbeaten in the French league.
"We played really well in the first half with high intensity and looked really good when we went forward," Lille coach Rudi Garcia said. "We finished well, even though we lacked a bit of luck when he hit the crossbar twice. What's even better is that our strikers scored."
Lille took the lead in the 19th minute when Sow scored following a goalmouth scramble, but Montpellier striker Olivier Giroud replied shortly after with a penalty after Mathieu Debuchy fouled Souleymane Camara.
Lille midfielder Yohan Cabaye hit the crossbar, before Sow grabbed his second of the match by nipping ahead of center half Emir Spahic and finishing confidently past goalkeeper Geoffrey Jourdren in the 32nd.
Ivory Coast forward Gervinho completed the scoring in the 80th to join Sow on four league goals this season.
The win moved Lille up to third place with 14 points.
Paris Saint-Germain is in seventh place with 12 points after being held to a 0-0 draw at home to Nice at Parc des Princes.
PSG's solid defense has not conceded a goal for the last six games now, but Antoine Kombouare's team failed to break down a stubborn Nice team hovering just above the relegation zone.
Striker Guillaume Hoarau, midfielders Nene and Stephane Sessegnon and defender Christophe Jallet wasted PSG's chances.
"It's two points lost tonight, that's a big disappointment for me," Kombouare said. "We lacked a bit of everything, efficiency, a bit of luck, and we came up against a goalkeeper who made three great saves."
