A goal just after the half-hour from Pierre Lees-Melou gave Brest victory to close the gap to PSG to nine points and seal a club record 13 top-flight matches without defeat.
"Very satisfied. We've got a bit of a lead on points, it's good to get them now," said Brest coach Eric Roy. "I'm proud and happy for our team, who have made history by going 13 games unbeaten."
The win gives Brest a four-point cushion over third-placed Monaco, who played out a goalless draw with PSG on Friday. Midfielder Lees-Melou slotted in Mathias Pereira Lage's cross at the near post with 34 minutes on the clock in what was the decisive moment of a close-fought match.
Brest held firm in the second half to close out the three points as fatigue set in for both sides and the foul count rose. Lowly Metz picked up three points with a 2-0 win at Nantes, courtesy of two second-half goals in two minutes from Georges Mikautadze, from the spot, and Matthieu Udol.
Lorient escaped the relegation play-off spot by downing Breton rivals Rennes 2-1 thanks to Mohamed Bamba and an Eli Kroupi strike on 90 minutes, before Amine Gouiri struck back for the hosts deep in injury time.
Montpellier came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with visiting Strasbourg. A brace from Arnaud Nordin cancelled out Mouhamadou Diarra's penalty and an Emanuel Emegha goal.
The results mean Montpellier dropped to 16th after Lorient's win and only have a three-point buffer between themselves and Metz in the automatic relegation zone.
March 3, 2024