Ligue 1 - Montpellier are back on top

Montpellier are back atop the Ligue 1 table following a 3-1 win over Ajaccio, Rémy Cabella (3'), Marco Estrada (10') and John Utaka (35') securing a fifth win of the league season despite Mehdi Mostefa's first-ever top-flight strike (53').

A scintillating performance from Chile international midfielder Marco Estrada was at the heart of Montpellier's return to winning ways, with a deadly first-half scoring spree - which made light of the absence of star striker Olivier Giroud - setting René Girard's men up for their fifth win in an unbeaten run of seven matches - and a return to top spot.

The clinical finishing was in evidence right from the off, with Rémy Cabella charging into the area to meet John Utaka's cross with a powerful header past Guillermo Ochoa (3') and Estrada scoring direct from a corner after Brazilian forward Ilan - who was supposed to be guarding Ochoa's near post - bizarrely ducked to let the ball pass (9').
A far-from-ideal start for Olivier Pantaloni's men, who were looking to bounce back from a 3-0 loss in Nice at the weekend, and it only got worse as Utaka turned goalscorer, racing onto Souleymane Camara's deft through-pass to nutmeg Ochoa with a powerful shot (35').
Things began to look up for the home side when former Monaco and Nîmes midfielder Mehdi Mostefa pulled one back with his first Ligue 1 strike (53') - and also ten minutes later when Montpellier's Abdelhamid El Kaoutari was sent off for a second yellow (63').
But Montpellier weathered the storm as the numerically superior Corsicans pushed in the final stages, but Geoffrey Jourdren produced an enormous save to deny Yoann Poulard a sublime volleyed goal (79') before Christian Kinkela smashed his shot past a beaten Jourdren and into the post (82').