AS Monaco maintained their third position in the Ligue 1 standings by recording a crucial 3-0 victory over Dijon.
In what was a dominant display from Niko Kovac’s men, where they had the upper hand over their rivals in terms of shots (16 to six), possession (63.8% to 36.2%), pass success rate (86% to 72%), tackles (18 to 15), headers won (17 to 12) and corners (six to four), they were certainly deserved winners.
The triumph now means they’ve won 13 of their last 17 Ligue 1 matches, as Stevan Jovetic’s opener was backed up by Wissam Ben Yedder’s brace to secure all three points.
Dominant in possession and controlling proceedings comfortably, Kovac’s gameplan worked well against David Linares’ struggling team, who defended especially well in the first half.
Kovac certainly deserved credit for getting his substitutions spot on too, for the half time introductions of Ben Yedder and Cesc Fabregas gave them an extra spark going forward to change the game. In a match where Monaco flexed their muscles in the second half to score three vital goals, they yet again demonstrated their class and strength in depth.
Meanwhile, on the defensive end, keeping their sixth consecutive clean sheet was unquestionably a further positive, which underlined their impressive recent improvement in this compartment.
When speaking after the match, Kovac was content with his team’s efforts to claim a hard fought win, saying: “It is true that the first half was difficult as Dijon defended well with a low block. We had few chances. In the second half, we were able to come back and score quickly thanks to a penalty, and we obtained many more chances. The victory was deserved.”
“We are on the right track. The club as a whole has done a very good job. We must continue in this way and take things step by step.”
The team will now rest, recover and prepare over the coming week before their tough away clash with Bordeaux next Sunday, where they’ll be keen to continue their scintillating form.