Marseille president Jean-Claude Dassier has warned there is a long way to go in the Ligue 1 title race but believes his side have all but wrapped up UEFA Champions League qualification with their 4-2 win over Nice last night.

Marseille moved above Lille into top spot by a single point, but they hold an eight-point advantage over fourth-placed Paris St Germain with six games to go. Andre Ayew scored a hat-trick and his brother Jordan Ayew got the other goal to leave Marseille and their fans delighted on the back of their Coupe de la Ligue final victory over Montpellier at the weekend.

"I do not want to be a killjoy, but I do not believe what happened," Dassier told the club's website. "We played a very good match, with excellent coaching. I think Didier Deschamps showed his qualities by playing Jordan Ayew ahead of Andre-Pierre Gignac and we have great reason for satisfaction tonight despite some problems at the back.

We are happy but this is not finished, because the others will stay with us, Lille and Lyon. But I am not worried, we must stay focused.
Marseille president Jean-Claude Dassier

"However, there are still six matches to go in the league, including Auxerre coming here and our trip to Lyon. We are happy but this is not finished, because the others will stay with us, Lille and Lyon. But I am not worried, we must stay focused. If we are optimistic, we can say we have virtually qualified for the Champions League."

Deschamps was delighted by the performance of his players after their cup exertions. "Everything was not perfect but it does not happen often than you score four goals, particularly after the effort of Saturday's final," he said. "I knew it was going to be difficult, and the first half was, but we showed a lot more quality and movement in the second half."

However, Deschamps warned it was far too early to draw conclusions in the title race as Marseille can expect to find themselves back in second before they face Auxerre on Sunday, as Lille play already-relegated Arles on Saturday. "First place is good, but it is more important to have won because everything can have changed again by Sunday," he said.