Algeria's Amine Gouiri is proving to be an inspired signing by Marseille.
The livewire forward scored two superb goals and played a part in the other three as second-placed Marseille routed Saint-Etienne 5-1 in Ligue 1 on Saturday. Gouiri also has three assists in the three games he's played since joining from Rennes in the January transfer window.
Marseille's win was spectacular but changed nothing at the top because unbeaten Paris Saint-Germain maintained its 10-point lead after scraping a 1-0 win at Toulouse.
PSG drew away and lost at home to Toulouse last season, and this was another hard-fought contest.
Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes made a smart save from winger Bradley Barcola late in a gritty first half.
Restes went off close to halftime with an apparent leg-muscle injury and was replaced by Kjetil Haug. He was beaten in the 52nd when Fabián Ruiz hooked the ball in after Willian Pacho’s header came off the crossbar.
Earlier, Gouiri gave Marseille the lead with a fine solo effort.
He cut in from the left and, after using Adrien Rabiot as a decoy runner to fool a defender, curled a superb shot into the top right corner from 20 meters in the 27th minute.
Then, early into the second half, Gouiri's pass from the left led to a defender's handball and Mason Greenwood converted the penalty to make it 2-0 and his 14th goal of the season.
Gouiri was also involved in the third goal, which came after Gouiri and Quentin Merlin had shots saved before the ball fell to defender Amir Murillo, who slotted it.
After Saint-Etienne lost the ball in midfield, Gouri latched onto a pass from Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg and expertly lobbed goalkeeper Gautier Larsonneur.
Marseille's fifth goal saw Gouiri pick out Amar Dedic with a curling pass from the right and Dedic head the ball back across goal to give Rabiot a tap in.
Lucas Stassin pulled a late goal back.
Elsewhere, Mika Biereth scored a hat trick as third-placed Monaco crushed Nantes 7-1 after falling behind to an early goal.
Two weeks after netting an eight-minute hat trick at home against Auxerre, he helped himself to another treble at Stade Louis II. The London-born Danish striker has seven goals in six league games since joining from Sturm Graz.
The 200 traveling fans from Nantes enjoyed a bright start when striker Matthis Albine scored after four minutes, but defender Nicolas Coazza's red card shortly after changed the game. Biereth and Japan forward Takumi Minamino scored just before the break and the goals flowed.
Midfielder Eliesse Ben Seghir scored in the 49th before Biereth added two more goals and 18-year-old striker George Ilenikhena pounced twice late on.
Monaco stayed six points behind Marseille.
