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Ten-man Paris St Germain missed the opportunity to go top of Ligue 1 when they suffered a 3-1 home defeat by arch-rivals Marseille after leaders Lyon lost 2-0 at home to Auxerre.

Lyon top the table on 53 points from 28 games, one point ahead of Marseille who lead PSG on goal difference.

Marseille took a deserved lead when Dutch winger Boudewijn Zenden (pictured) found the back of the net in the 24th minute with a low left-footed shot after a backheel pass from Brazilian Brandao.

The visitors dominated throughout the first half but Ludovic Giuly put the capital side level just before the interval. He collected a defence-splitting pass from Peguy Luyindula and then beat France goalkeeper Steve Mandanda from close range.

PSG defender Zoumana Camara was sent off early in the second half after he brought down Zenden just outside the box. The Dutchman fired the free kick and Bakari Kone scored a lucky goal when the ball bounced off his knee after a save by PSG goalkeeper Mickael Landreau.

Marseille captain Lorik Cana, a former PSG trainee, made it 3-1 six minutes later with a right-footed shot from outside the box.

"We played well in a beautiful atmosphere but it was not our best performance this season," Marseille coach Eric Gerets said.

"Lyon still lead the table and they hold the key to the title race," the Belgian added.

His counterpart Paul Le Guen lamented his players' nervousness.

"(Camara's red card) was the turning point in the game and things did not turn in our favour," Le Guen said.

PSG captain Claude Makelele told Canal Plus television: "It is just a slight mishap. We just aim to stay amid the top teams."

PSG, who last won the Ligue 1 title in 1994, struggled to escape relegation in the last two seasons.

Sluggish Lyon were stunned 2-0 at home by mid-table Auxerre earlier on Sunday.

Pole Ireneusz Jelen gave Auxerre the lead from close range in the first half before Dane Thomas Kahlenberg sealed the game when he lobbed over Hugo Lloris in stoppage time.

The Lyon goalkeeper had stopped a Cedric Hengbart penalty minutes earlier.

The seven-times champions have lost their last four games in all competitions. They were knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona on Wednesday, a week after losing to Lille in the Coupe de France.

"Auxerre deserved to win, they played better than we did," Lyon's Karim Benzema told Foot Plus television.

"We wanted to wipe out our disappointment after our defeat in Barcelona and now we have to be cautious and get back to work as we are in danger."

Reuters