AS Monaco failed to make up ground on the top three in Ligue 1 after drawing 1-1 with AS Saint-Etienne at the Stade Louis II.
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Kicking off the weekend of French football, the Club of the Principality had the opportunity to up the pressure on the teams ahead of them—Olympique de Marseille, Olympique Lyonnais and Paris Saint-Germain.
However, they failed to secure a valuable victory against Saint-Etienne, who may themselves feel that a spot in the top four isn’t an unattainable objective.
It was the visitors who took the lead when Mevlut Erding continued his scoring form with a fine effort. The forward has endured a tricky season, but having found the net for Turkey during the international break, he opened the scoring here with an excellent header on 62 minutes.
However, Saint-Etienne failed to hold onto their lead, and Monaco, who had been muted throughout the first period, began to find opportunities.
They responded after six minutes when Anthony Martial—who replaced Matheus Carvalho on 66 minutes—connected with a delicious volley.
Having played 30 matches, Monaco are three points behind Marseille in third and one ahead of Saint-Etienne in fifth.