Ligue 1 Roundup: PSG back on top, Bordeaux held by struggling Metz

Thanks to Ezequiel Lavezzi's hat trick, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain stated their Ligue 1 title credentials with a 6-1 demolition of Lille here on Saturday.

The victory lifted the twice title holders back on top with one game in hand, three points ahead of Lyon, who play Reims on Sunday.

Laurent Blanc's side now has 68 points with 19 wins, 11 draws and just three defeats after 33 matches so far, but they have spent much of the season looking up at the pace-setters, first Marseille and then Lyon.

Saturday's game, however, showed the champions may be coming into form at just the right time even without suspended leading scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Goals from Maxwell and Edinson Cavani inside the opening four minutes set the scene and Lavezzi struck twice before half-time to make the game safe.

Marko Basa pulled one back but Cavani's penalty and another Lavezzi strike rounded off the victory for the home team.

In other play on Saturday, Bordeaux earned a 1-1 draw through Wahbi Khazri's late equaliser which denied Metz a precious victory that could have saved them from relegation.

Bastia claimed a 2-1 come-from-behind triumph at fellow strugglers Evian as teenage Guinea striker Francois Kamano grabbed both goals.

Toulouse missed the chance to pull further away from the relegation zone with a 1-1 home draw with Nantes, Guingamp moved six points clear of the drop zone after beating Caen 2-0, while Rennes came from behind to earn a 2-1 win over Nice.

Earlier in the 34th round of play, Jordan Ayew claimed a brace to help Lorient win 5-3 away over his former club Marseille on Friday.

The first-half Ligue 1 leaders thus remain in fourth place, leading on goal difference to fifth-placed Saint-Etienne, who host Montpellier on Sunday.

The third-placed Monaco will travel to bottem side Lens and Lyon will try to seize back the top spot while playing struggling Reims on the way. Endi