Nice returned to the top of the French first division with a 3-0 home win over lowly AC Ajaccio.

Nice are two points ahead of reigning champions Lyon, who travel to Paris St Germain tonight in a match that has already been overshadowed by speculation concerning the future of PSG coach Luis Fernandez. Defeat tonight and Fernandez is expected to be sacked.

The win for Nice represents a welcome return to form for Gernot Rohr’s men after suffering a 3-0 defeat to Sedan at the weekend.

‘Our defeat at Sedan was a real smack in the face. Some people said it was the end of the road for us but the players reacted as true leaders,’ said Rohr.

‘It was our last game at home before the winter break and we had to win it.’

The defeat for Ajaccio was their fourth in successive matches, and leaves them precariously placed, just above the relegation zone.