Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez helped Manchester City close the gap to 12 points on neighbours Manchester United with a 2-0 win over Chelsea in the Premier League, while Newcastle overcame Southampton 4-2.
Moussa Sissoko scored twice for Newcastle as they beat Chelsea 3-2 in a pulsating game at St James' Park, while Everton levelled late on to claim a point from a dramatic 3-3 draw against Aston Villa.
Moussa Sissoko became Newcastle United's latest signing of the January transfer window as the former Toulouse midfielder added to their growing French ranks.
Toulouse edged 1-0 past relegation-threatened Auxerre as Franck Tabanou netted the game's only goal to send his side up to fourth in Ligue 1 above Lyon.
Lille found themselves frustrated by Auxerre as they held them to a 1-1 draw, while Rennes and Marseille took advantage of dropped points by Lyon and Paris St Germain to congest the Ligue 1 title-race further.
Forwards Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa are among those named in Laurent Blanc's first France squad, for next week's friendly against Norway.
