Hatem ben Arfa found the net as OGC Nice won 3-0 at home to GFC Ajaccio on Sunday to pick up a third successive win and continue their push for a top-three finish.
Ben Arfa's 12th goal of the season gave Nice the ideal platform to build on after just 14 minutes, and Alassane Pléa found the net on 66 minutes - taking his tally to four for the L1 campaign - before Jean Michael Seri rounded things off (88') to move Claude Puel's men back into third, leapfrogging Olympique Lyonnais, who had claimed third place with their victory over FC Nantes on Saturday.
As so often this season, a piece of brilliance from Ben Arfa gave Nice the edge. The former Lyon and Olympique de Marseille midfielder skipped between Pablo Martinez and Mohamed Larbi before bending a sublime shot beyond Clément Maury and into the far corner of the net.
Ben Arfa's accomplice in attack, Valère Germain, then seized onto a poor touch from David Ducourtioux to speed with the ball down the right. His cross found Pléa, but the striker was unable to get sufficient power on his shot to beat Maury from just inside the box.
Magnificent
Yoan Cardinale had to backpedal smartly early in the second half to tip away a Khalid Boutaïb lob as GFC attempted to get back into the game in the hope of extending their four-game unbeaten run.
Those ambitions took a further blow though as Pléa doubled Nice's advantage. Ben Arfa was this time the architect, slipping a magnificent ball through the visiting back four for Pléa, who stepped round Maury to finish with aplomb.
Those ambitions took a further blow though as Pléa doubled Nice's advantage. Ben Arfa was this time the architect, slipping a magnificent ball through the visiting back four for Pléa, who stepped round Maury to finish with aplomb.
Seri then grabbed the third with time running out thanks to Germain's approach work to push Nice one point clear of OL in the race for the third qualifying spot for next season's UEFA Champions League.
