PARIS (AP) -Lyon was held to a scoreless draw by Marseille on Sunday but kept its three-point lead at the top of the French league.
Defending champion Lyon had a small scare in the second half when a cross from Marseille substitute Mamadou Samassa bounced off the crossbar in the 84th minute.
Lyon has not won in its last four league matches but leads the standings after 18 rounds with 35 points, three more than Marseille, Bordeaux and Paris Saint-Germain.
"You could see that both teams were exhausted," Lyon manager Claude Puel said. "We did what we could. And we kept our (top) spot."
In the past four seasons, Lyon has gone on to win the title after having led in the 18th round.
Marseille had the best chance in the first half after Lyon winger Sidney Govou missed an interception on a headed pass from Marseille center back Ronald Zubar in the 35th. Mathieu Valbuena collected the pass but his shot from six meters was straight at goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Lyon replied in the 37th with a goalbound free kick from Juninho that Lyon center back Jean-Alain Boumsong nearly diverted in. But Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda was not fooled by Boumsong's move and managed to block the bouncing free kick.
"We knew that Marseille, with Kone and Valbuena, had a lot of pace," Boumsong said. "Therefore we had to stay focused not to get hit on the fast break. I think the draw is fair."
France international Hatem Ben Arfa, who was transferred from Lyon to Marseille in the last offseason, was loudly booed by Lyon fans every time he touched the ball. He had criticized his former club in the local press last Friday.
Ben Arfa was replaced in the 81st by Burkina-Faso midfielder Charles Kabore.
"With more cold blood in the finishing, we could have hurt them more," Marseille coach Eric Gerets told the club's Web site. "It's logical that Ben Arfa was booed. It's a logical reaction from the fans when a player leaves a club for another one. By moving from Lyon to Marseille, you're not making friends."
Marseille remained the only team still undefeated on the road.
Meanwhile, Michel Bastos scored his eighth goal of the season to lead Lille to a 1-0 victory over Nice. The Brazilian midfielder found the net in the seventh minute after Ludovic Obraniak had charged down the left flank and crossed the ball into the box.
Nice dropped to eighth place after its first home defeat this season, while Lille rose to seventh. Both teams have 29 points from 18 matches but Lille has a better goal difference. In Le Havre, Lorient stunned the hosts 3-1 to climb to ninth with 26 points.
Algeria international Yazid Mansouri opened the scoring for Lorient in the 40th with a long-range shot that deflected off a Le Havre defender. Kevin Gameiro doubled the lead for Lorient on a counterattack, beating the offside trap to collect a pass from Marama Vahirua and dribble past goalkeeper Christophe Revault in the 45th.
Nicolas Dieuze volleyed home in the 66th for Le Havre before Vahirua sealed the win for Lorient, chipping the ball over goalkeeper Christophe Revault in the 68th. Le Havre sank to last place with 12 points.
On Saturday, Bordeaux beat Le Mans 3-1 to remain in the title race.
Also Saturday, it was: Auxerre 1, Paris Saint-Germain 2; Toulouse 3, Saint-Etienne 1; Valenciennes 3, Monaco 1; Sochaux 2, Caen 2; Nancy 2, Grenoble 0; and Rennes 0, Nantes 0.
