Ligue 1 round-up, September 27

The world is a strange place.

As I type this, my local radio station are doing an interview with a woman who has just won a contest to find the dog owner who looks most like their pet. What makes the story even weirder is that the winner is not, as you might imagine, a complete loony, but a fully qualified doctor. The mind boggles.

Anyway, Claude Puel continues to wear a hang-dog expression after his Lyon side's latest defeat. They went down 1-0 to St Etienne in a closely contested Rhone derby which was settled by a superb 74th minute free kick from that man Dimitri Payet. And with Marcello Lippi and Paul Le Guen reportedly sniffing around and wanting to cock their legs up his managerial lamp-post, it seems unlikely Puel's mood will improve any time soon.

The dog days could be over for St Etienne however, who remain top of the league following the victory, their first derby win in 16 years. And if the goals continue to flow from Payet, a first Ligue 1 title since 1981 could be a distinct possibility.

Rennes are up to second after a 2-1 win over Nice, with Stephane Dalmat and Victor Montano on target. That position had previously been held by Toulouse, but they were only able to draw with Lille, Antoine Devaux's goal 15 minutes from time earning them a share of the spoils.

PSG are currently going about their business in the kind of quiet, efficient manner which you wouldn't usually associate with the capital club. They were 2-0 victors over Lens on Sunday, with a calamitous own goal from Yohan Dalmont setting them on their way to three points. Brazilian Nene added a second at the death to move Antoine Kombouare's men up to fifth in the table, and the Parisiens will be hoping their miserly defence, which has now kept four consecutive clean sheets, will continue in such mean fashion.

Elsewhere, Marseille beat Souchaux 2-1, and bottom club Arles suffered another defeat, 3-1 against Montpellier. A new manager will be in place soon at the Parc des Sports according to club president Marcel Salerno, and whoever he is I wish him the best of luck.

Results
Saturday September 25: Auxerre 2-2 Nancy, Caen 0-0 Bordeaux, Lorient 2-1 Monaco, Lyon 0-1 St Etienne, Marseille 2-1 Sochaux, Montpellier 3-1 Arles, Nice 1-2 Rennes.
Sunday September 26: Brest 1-0 Valenciennes, Lens 0-2 Paris SG, Toulouse 1-1 Lille.