In Ligue 1 struggling Troyes held St Etienne to a 2-2 draw on Saturday while Nancy beat Rennes 2-0.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Brandao twice put visiting St Etienne in front, but they were pegged back by strikes from Julien Faussurier and Benjamin Nivet.
Despite the nature of the draw, a point does little to improve Troyes' hopes of survival, as they are four points off fourth-bottom Brest, who take on Lille tomorrow.
Clarck N'Sikulu grabbed a last-gasp leveller for Evian as they also drew 2-2 against relegation rivals Reims.
The attacker scored in the 93rd minute for the home side as they recovered from two goals down at the Parc des Sports.
Floyd Ayite put the visitors ahead after 12 minutes before he saw red three minutes later for a dangerous tackle.
Despite that setback the 10 men of Reims still managed to double their lead in the 67th minute through Gaetan Courtet.
They could not hold on though as Yannick Sagbo pulled a goal back for the home side a minute later before N'Sikulu struck deep into stoppage time.
Bastia twice came from behind to complete a 4-3 win at Valenciennes that boosts the Corsicans' chances of staying in Ligue 1.
Remi Gomis briefly set Valenciennes on their way towards a first win in six outings but Toifilou Maoulida soon scored his first goal of a brace to level the tie.
A Gael Danic penalty sent VA into half-time with a 2-1 lead but Bastia came roaring back after the break, with Maoulida equalising before substitute Florian Thauvin settled the match with a double inside the last six minutes - his first goal coming from the spot.
Gregory Pujol squeezed in a third for the hosts in stoppage time but it was too little, too late for Daniel Sanchez's men, who remain in 12th place while both sides are eight points clear of the drop zone.
Improving Nancy claimed their second win in a week as a 2-0 victory over Rennes saw them move off the foot of Ligue 1.
Thomas Ayasse put them ahead 12 minutes from time with a stunning volley before Djamel Bakar secured all three points with a minute remaining.
Etienne Capoue scored twice to earn mid-table Toulouse a narrow 3-2 victory at Ajaccio.
The hosts led through Jonathan Zebina's own goal but Capoue levelled and Franck Tabanou put Toulouse ahead.
Adrian Mutu then made it 2-2 before the break, but Capoue grabbed the winner from the penalty spot 11 minutes from time.
Ludovic Obraniak's late strike rescued a 1-1 draw for Bordeaux after Jeremie Aliadiere had put Lorient ahead.
The 1-0 loss in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off left the struggling Black Cats without a win in eight games.
It was a result that also left them perilously close to the drop zone with seven games remaining in the top tier.
A statement on the Sunderland club website read: "The club would like to place on record its thanks to Martin and wishes him well for the future."
A run of eight league games without a win which has yielded only three points ultimately cost O'Neill his job after a little more than 15 months at the helm.
The Black Cats' last victory came at Wigan on January 19, and with trips to European champions Chelsea and rivals Newcastle to come ahead of bogey team Everton's visit to the Stadium of Light on April 20, things could get worse before they get better.
O'Neill, of course, was the man whose appointment Sunderland fans had craved for years, and his arrival at the Stadium of Light in December 2011 was greeted with delight.
The Northern Irishman had never made any secret of his boyhood affection for the club and the chance to manage them fulfilled a long-held dream.
His start was just what owner and chairman Ellis Short was looking for as a run of seven victories in his first 10 league games eased the club out of relegation trouble and sent spirits soaring.
The Black Cats ran out of steam towards the end of the campaign, but with their top-flight status secured and the promise of a summer rebuilding programme, attention turned to the new campaign with genuine optimism.
That only increased when Short provided O'Neill with a total of ?22million with which to buy Scotland international striker Steven Fletcher and England winger Adam Johnson, and the American put his hand in his pocket once again in January to add Danny Graham and Alfred N'Diaye to the squad.
However, only Fletcher, who was this week ruled out for the remainder of the season with ankle ligament damage, has hit the ground running with his 11 goals a major contribution to the 31 points they have claimed to date.
Johnson in particular has failed to recreate the form he showed in his early days at Middlesbrough and then in spells after his move to Manchester City, while Graham is yet to find the back of the net in seven appearances.
Short has been unhappy with results for several weeks, but writing in his programme notes today, he called for a united front.
He said: "Of course, there is nobody that is happy with our current position and the way our season is going. The reality is that we have a fight on our hands with eight games remaining.
"We know that we are capable of playing better than we have been doing and we know that we need to begin doing so now.
"I can assure you that every person at the club is doing everything they can to ensure that the season ends on a positive note and when the season is over, we can take stock of what happened.
"Right now, however, there is only one thing that every one of us should be focused on, and that is doing our part whatever that is in helping this team to get the points we need.
"I'm very aware that our supporters, who have backed us week in, week out in such huge numbers, aren't happy and fully understand why.
"But right now, it is important for us all to be on the same side and get behind the team. Not being together will not help us to get results, so let's stand shoulder to shoulder and give the team our full support."
That stock-taking exercise was dramatically brought forward this evening.
O'Neill was seemingly not expecting the development as he conducted his post-match press conference.
He said: "I am as buoyant now as - I was nearly going to say as I have always been.
"What is it - the half-full or the half-empty glass? I'm even going to the three-quarters full. There's a real determination in the dressing room. The players are obviously disappointed, but they can take a lot from the second half.
"Yes, there is a determination about the players in there that we can do it."
It is understood the search for a successor is already under way and that the club hope to make a swift appointment.
However, whoever gets the job faces the task of galvanising a squad for an intensely uncomfortable run-in with the stakes higher than ever as a result of the cash implications of the new broadcasting deal.
