Balotelli brace down Monaco

Balotelli celebrates with Nice team mates

Mario Balotelli scored twice to help Nice dominate Monaco 4-0 and move top of the Ligue 1 table on Wednesday.

The enigmatic striker continued his resurgence with his third and fourth goals since his move from Liverpool this summer as unbeaten Nice moved one point ahead of both Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco.

Paul Baysse opened the scoring for Nice on 18 minutes before Balotelli scored on the half-hour mark with a hard shot from an angle that went in off the far post.

And the striker stayed onside to add another goal midway through the second half before coming off a few minutes later.

Tiemoue Bakayoko was dismissed with six minutes to play, and though Balotelli’s replacement Alassane Plea missed the resulting penalty he completed the rout with a header a minute later.

Ten-man St Etienne held on to secure a point in a goaless draw against Nantes at Stade de la Beaujoire.

The visitors were forced to make three substitutions in the opening 21 minutes, with Kevin Malcuit coming on for the injured Fabien Lemoine after 10 minutes and Florentin Pogba, brother of Manchester United midfielder Paul, hobbling off shortly afterwards.

Sub Malcuit was then sent off for a foul on Alex Kacaniklic in the penalty area in the 17th minute, only for Emiliano Sala to miss the resulting spot-kick.

Unlucky St Etienne lost Loic Perrin to injury after 21 minutes and Nantes went on to dominate without really creating any clear-cut opportunities.

Marius Stepinski and Sala had half-chances but Stephane Ruffier saved.

Nabil Fekir and captain Corentin Tolisso both scored twice as Lyon came from behind to beat 10-man Montpellier 5-1.

Morgan Sanson gave the visitors the lead after only four minutes, but the four minutes later 19-year-old debutant Morgan Poaty was sent off for a challenge on Tolisso.

Lyon were ahead by the break through a Fekir penalty and one from Tolisso and the pair both scored again in the second half before Maxwel Cornet added a fifth.

Guingamp returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Lorient at the Stade du Roudourou.

After a three-game unbeaten start to the season, Antoine Kombouare’s side were winless in their next two matches.

But Jimmy Briand secured all three points for the hosts to condemn bottom-placed Lorient to their fifth defeat of the campaign.

The winner came in the 63rd minute when Briand scored from the penalty spot after substitute Faiz Selemani was adjudged to have fouled Fernando Marcal in the area.

Nancy made it three league matches unbeaten as they held Bastia to a goalless draw in Corsica.

The visitors lost their first three matches of the season but stopped the rot with victory over Lorient and then drew with Nantes.

They had to work very hard for their point, with the home side enjoying the majority of both possession and chances at the Stade Armand Cesari.

Sadio Diallo in particular was a thorn in Nancy’s side but he could not find a way past Guy N’Dy in the visitors’ goal and Bastia had to settle for a point.

Bordeaux climbed into fourth place after an impressive 3-0 victory at Metz.

Brazilian forward Malcom gave Les Girondins the lead after 37 minutes with a smart first-time finish from Isaac Kiese Thelin’s cut-back — the 19-year-old’s third goal of the campaign.

Gaetan Laborde doubled the visitors’ lead in the second half before Kiese Thelin’s penalty five minutes later sealed all three points for Jocelyn Gourvennec’s side as they responded to their 1-0 home defeat Angers last weekend.

Metz are now winless in their last two games following their goalless draw at Dijon in the previous fixture.

Angers defeated Caen 2-1 for their third win in a row. After losing their first three games, Stephane Moulin’s team have bounced back superbly and secured the three points with goals from Billy Ketkeophomphone and Cheikh Ndoye.

Ketkeophomphone’s opener came after only 12 minutes, the striker firing in from close range after Ndoye had set him up.