Valentin Eysseric keeps Nice clear at the top

A solitary Valentin Eysseric goal helped Nice maintain their three-point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table thanks to a slender 1-0 win in St Etienne.The hosts had an early opportunity after Nice squandered possession in midfield but, after Nolan Roux escaped into the area, his stinging effort ended up in the side-netting.Jean Michael Seri offered a response for the visitors but the Ivory Coast midfielder fired over after showing some neat control inside the area before the former Pacos Ferreira man forced the first save of the match on 28 minutes, Stephane Ruffier standing up well to the test.In the game's first controversial moment, Les Verts had a penalty shout turned down when Brazilian defender Dante appeared to handle inside the area, but the referee waved the claims away.Visiting keeper Yoan Cardinale made his first significant stop on 33 minutes when Roux's header from Henri Saivet's delivery threatened to nestle in the goal but the score remained goalless as both teams left for the interval.Both sides threatened early in the second half from free-kicks but Remi Walter's deflected effort just cleared Ruffier's bar before Saivet's header from Jordan Veretout's delivery just cleared the right post.Then, just after the hour mark, Nice made the all-important breakthrough when Veretout's wasteful play gifted Eyserric possession on the edge of the area and, after cleverly taking the ball beyond Loic Perrin, he dispatched an unstoppable effort beyond Ruffier.Not satisfied with just the one, Lucien Favre's side continued to press for a second as Alassane Plea twice saw efforts from inside the area end up just the wrong side of a beaten Ruffier's post but, in the end, Eysseric's solitary strike proved the difference.Younes Belhand almost rounded things off deep into added time but his superb lob from distance was pushed over his own bar by St Etienne's experienced stopper, Ruffier.