Monaco put their indifferent form this season behind them to record a 2-0 win over Evian in Saturday's Ligue 1 clash.
Three wins from nine had left them in the bottom half of the table and in desperate need of some consistency, and they will hope this win can be the start of that process.
They could not have wished for a better start with Joao Moutinho scoring a penalty inside the first minute, and they wrapped things up through Yannick Ferreira Carrasco in the second half.
Fabian Lemoine fired a late winner to hand St Etienne a 1-0 win at Lorient.
Lemoine scored from 25 yards with just three minutes left to snatch a late win for the visitors, whose fifth league win of the season saw them move into fourth place.
Nantes were held to a 1-1 draw by Reims at the Stade de la Beaujoire.
Michel der Zakarian's men have only suffered one defeat at home this season and they held on to that record after Johan Audel's opener for the hosts was cancelled out by a stunning Diego free kick.
The draw saw the hosts remain fifth in the table -- one point below Bordeaux in third and St Etienne -- while Jean-Luc Vasseur's side moved up two places to 14th.
Guingamp halted a four-game losing run in the league with a 2-1 away win over Lille thanks to goals from Claudio Beauvue and Ronnie Schwartz.
Rio Mavuba pulled one back for the hosts with just over 10 minutes remaining but, despite losing Brou Angoua to a red card, Guingamp held on to claim their third league win of the season.
The victory still leaves them in the bottom three, but they are just one point behind Lorient, Evian and Bastia.
Floyd Ayite's second-half strike proved enough for Bastia to end a six-match winless run with a 1-0 victory over Nice at the Allianz Riviera.
There were ugly scenes at the end as about dozens of Nice supporters invaded the pitch, with some seeking to confront Bastia's players.
Metz were left frustrated as they had to settle for a goalless draw at home to Rennes.