Lille on rampage

Lille on rampage

Lille hit four for the third Ligue 1 game running as they hammered struggling St Etienne on Thursday.

Goals from Pierre-Alain Frau, Yohan Cabaye with a penalty and Gervinho - who all scored in last weekend's 4-3 win over Lyon - put the hosts 3-0 up before St Etienne were reduced to 10 men.

Yohan Benalouane picked up a second yellow card in the 81st minute and Lille took immediate advantage, Adil Rami netting a fourth.

Rudi Garcia's men have now scored 12 goals in the last three league games - starting with a 4-0 win over Valenciennes at the end of November - and they did not give St Etienne a look-in.

The win moved then to within two points of second-placed Montpellier, albeit having played two games more.

Gervinho fired their first opening over the bar in the 20th minute and Eden Hazard then diverted Frau's cross from the right inches wide of the post.

The pressure told in the 33rd minute as Gervinho made ground down the right before passing to Rio Mavuba on the edge of the area and he laid the ball on to Frau to slot home.

Hazard beat Benalouane before shooting narrowly wide as the visitors went into half-time fortunate to be just one down.

There was little respite after the break as Ludovic Obraniak went close with a low shot before Cabaye doubled Lille's lead from the spot in the 58th minute.

Guirane N'Daw brought down Gervinho and Cabaye sent Jeremie Janot the wrong way with the resulting penalty.

Gervinho got the goal his performance deserved 18 minutes from time, firing home after Cabaye's corner reached him at the far post.

Substitute Robert Vittek went close minutes after coming on as Lille continued to threaten more goals before things went from bad to worse for the opponents.

Benalouane was sent off, having picked up a second booking for handball, and Rami rubbed salt into St Etienne's already considerable wounds by crashing the resulting free-kick, from out on the left around 30 yards from goal, into the top corner in the 82nd minute.

Janot produced a superb save to stop Larsen Toure adding to St Etienne's misery at the end as Lille had to settle for four.