Dimitar Berbatov scored the decisive goal as Monaco defeated Lille 1-0 in Ligue 1 this evening to move within touching distance of the top four.
The home side started the match on the front foot, causing Monaco all kinds of problems, with Djibril Sidibe coming closest when he headed wide in the seventh minute.
Rene Girard's men threatened again in the 17th minute when Marko Basa nodded down a corner and David Rozehnal let fly from inside the area, with his effort narrowly clearing the crossbar.
Monaco's best opportunity of the first half came in the 37th minute as Bernardo Silva sent Nabil Dirar through on goal, only to watch the Moroccan miss the target.
Leonardo Jardim's half-time team talk seemed to do the trick as his side came out swinging in the second period, firing a warning shot through Joao Moutinho within minutes of the restart.
They took the lead through veteran striker Berbatov just before the hour mark, with the former Fulham favourite rising high in the box to meet Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco's cross and nod into the back of the net.
Lille pressed for an equaliser, but struggled to hit the target, coming closest to levelling things up in the 70th minute when a Kevin Koubemba strike grazed the right post.
There was still time for the hosts to give Monaco another scare as Sebastien Corchia almost found the bottom corner directly from a free kick eight minutes from time, but Jardim's men escaped with maximum points.
Mark Langshaw
