Sergio Koke gave Marseille the lead but Mohamed Kallon equalized for Monaco as the teams played to a 1-1 draw in a French first division soccer match on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Eduardo Costa almost won it for Marseille late in the second half, but shot narrowly wide from close range. Monaco's Patrice Evra was sent off moments later for a crude challenge on France midfielder Benoit Pedretti.
PHOTO: AFP
The result leaves Monaco in fourth place with 20 points, with Marseille a point behind in fifth place.
Defending champion Lyon leads with 23 points, followed by Lille in second place with 22. Auxerre retains the third spot with 20 points and a better goals difference than Monaco.
Koke scored a fine goal in the 20th minute, meeting Demetrius Ferreira's cross with a powerful header that flew inside the near post. It was the Spaniard's second goal in the last two home matches.
But Monaco struck back in the 33rd minute, when defender Sebastien Squillaci headed the ball toward the goal and Sierra Leone forward Mohamed Kallon got a touch to guide the ball home.
Kallon is Monaco's top scorer this season with nine goals in 16 matches. He joined the team in the summer after spending the last three seasons as a fringe player with Italian powerhouse Internazionale, scoring 14 goals in 42 Serie A matches.
Monaco could have taken an early lead when Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor raced through on goal and had time to pick his spot against goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. But he hesitated and then shot over the crossbar.
In the final minute of the first half, Marseille had another close escape when Kallon's cross just eluded fellow strikers Javier Saviola and Ernesto Chevanton.
Marseille started the second period stronger and forward Habib Bamogo came close in the 52nd minute with a fierce angled shot.
Kallon tested Barthez in the 62nd after Saviola's trickery opened up space in the Marseille defense.
Meanwhile, PSG coach Vahid Halilhodzic dropped Serbia and Montenegro striker Danijel Ljuboja Friday from the squad that will face Auxerre. The pair have fallen out numerous times this season.
Dutch League
Dutch league leader PSV Eindhoven surrendered points for just the second time this season after being held to a scoreless tie at FC Utrecht on Friday.
For Utrecht, the match was another minor coup after beating second place Feyenoord and tying Ajax Amsterdam earlier this season.
Feyenoord will take the lead today if it can beat third place AZ Alkmaar, while struggling Ajax will host NEC Nijmegen.
Ajax has fallen to seventh place after NAC Breda leapfrogged them in the standings with a mid-week thrashing of Roda JC 4-0.
In Utrecht, both teams had only a handful of chances, and appeared to be saving themselves for European matches next week: PSV plays the Norwegian side Rosenborg at home in the Champions League Tuesday, while Utrecht hosts Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk of Ukraine in the UEFA Cup Thursday.
Apart from a first minute attempt by Gerald Sibon, PSV played defensively until late in the second half -- too late.
"Our defense didn't get in any real trouble but in the final attempt we couldn't make a goal," Eindhoven coach Guus Hiddink said.
FC Utrecht also had a rare chance in the opening minutes when Alje Schut was left open near the right post but his attempt at the far corner went wide.
Eindhoven captain Mark van Bommel missed the game with a thigh injury. He is also seen as doubtful for Tuesday.
Utrecht played for the win, but rarely came close to penetrating the Eindhoven defense.
PSV's Park Ji-sung missed a last minute shot after dribbling through several Utrecht defenders.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson wants to get to the bottom of the "Soupgate" affair.
Ferguson was forced to change clothes after Man United's 2-0 victory Sunday over Arsenal. He was reportedly splattered by soup and pizza, which United claims was thrown by Arsenal players as the teams exited the pitch through a tunnel.
Ferguson said Friday that Arsenal hadn't done enough to investigate the incident.
"We are very disappointed at the reaction from Arsenal, but we are doing our own thing," Ferguson said.
Ferguson seemed to be referring to statements by Gunners' manager Arsene Wenger, who said he didn't see anything happen after the match.
"We have launched our own investigation into it," Ferguson said. "We are collating a lot of information and there are a lot of statements being made by witnesses.
"We will be forwarding all the information to the Football Association and then we will let them get on with it."
Arsenal's Wenger said he welcomed United's move.
"That's exactly what they should do. For me, nothing happened. We like to look forward not backward. What happened on the pitch is important for me and the way you behave on the pitch."
Arsenal's Brazilian midfielder Edu acknowledged that a scuffle took place in the tunnel, but said he didn't see food thrown at Ferguson.
"Afterwards, as we went down the tunnel, I saw people being pulled apart, people pushing, pointing and shouting," Edu told the UEFA Web site.
"The United players were shouting at us and trying to wind us up about the result. But I didn't see any soup being thrown at anyone.
Mista ends mystery
Valencia striker Mista has ended speculation about a possible move away from the club by extending his contract for an extra five years.
Mista, who was the club's top scorer when they won both the Spanish title and the UEFA Cup last season, had been linked by the media with a possible move to Liverpool to join up with former coach Rafa Benitez.
But after rejecting several initial offers of a contract renewal he eventually agreed to a new deal with Valencia which will run until 2010.
"The club and the player are both very satisfied that their wish to extend the deal has been realized," Valencia said in a statement on their Web site yesterday.
The 25-year-old player, who scored 19 league goals last season, has barely featured for the club this season after being forced to play second string to new recruit Marco Di Vaio.
Valencia, who have lost their last four games and crashed out of the King's Cup at the hands of second division Lleida in midweek, were to host Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
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