Saint-Etienne kept pace with the Ligue 1 leading pack after two early goals set them on their way to a comfortable home victory over Evian TG.
Les Verts took the lead inside 60 seconds at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard as Romain Hamouma teed up Max Gradel in the centre of the area and the midfielder rifled his effort into the roof of Benjamin Leroy's net.
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The hosts doubled their advantage on 20 minutes after Hamouma again played a pinpoint pass to the heart of the box and Ricky van Wolfswinkel was on hand to slot the ball into the top corner.
Saint-Etienne almost put the game beyond Evian before the midway point of the first half as Gradel brought a flying save out of Leroy.
Evian's best chance of getting back into the game came soon after the interval as Milos Ninkovic's right-footed strike drifted just wide of Stephane Ruffier's post.
However, Les Verts added a third on 65 minutes as Hamouma ran down the right flank before cutting inside on his left foot and unleashing an unstoppable shot past a helpless Leroy.
The result sees Saint-Etienne draw level with third-placed Lyon and trail leaders Marseille by five points.
Chris O'Keefe
