Monaco close in on top three by thrashing St Etienne 4-0

AS Monaco closed the gap with second-placed Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon to one point after thrashing Saint-Etienne 4-0 in Ligue 1 on Friday.

Having already missed an early penalty, forward Stevan Jovetic fired Monaco into the lead in the 13th minute, drilling an effort into the bottom corner.

A powerful strike from Aurelien Tchouameni doubled the visitors' advantage nine minutes into the second half before Sofiane Diop and Krepin Diatta completed the 4-0 rout.

The comfortable victory moved Niko Kovac's side on to 59 points, one behind PSG and third-placed Lyon ahead of the pair's meeting on Sunday. Lille top the standings with 63 points.