Nice hold on for victory despite Balotelli's expulsion

Mario Balotelli was sent off on his return to the Nice team on Saturday night but despite the numerical disadvantage Lucien Favre's side held on for a 1-0 win at Lorient. Wylan Cyprien scored the only goal of the game, collecting Arnaud Souquet's pass and firing home from inside the area in the 15th minute.

Nice striker Mario Balotelli spoke in English to insult the referee during his side's game at Lorient. Reuters/Eric Gaillard

The result propelled Nice into second place above Paris Saint-Germain and to within three points of Monaco.

"To win away from home does us good and it is well deserved because we had to hold on at 10 against 11," Favre said. "We saw over the weekend how difficult it is for all teams, so logically it was going to be difficult for us too."

Balotelli, 27, was sent off for the second time this season after insulting the match referee Tony Chapron midway through the second half.

"I didn't see what happened. All of a sudden the card came out. Apparently there were words," said Favre.

The Italian, who has scored nine league goals, has endured a frustrating couple of weeks. He was dropped from the team for a 1-0 win against Saint-Etienne and then missed last week's draw at Rennes due to illness, but returned in Lorient in place of injured leading scorer Alassane Plea.

It was a first away win since the end of November for Nice while Lorient remain bottom of the table five points from safety with 22 points from 26 games.

Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain can reclaim second place and cut Monaco's lead to a single point if they beat Toulouse at the Parc des Princes on Sunday night.