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.
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.
