Montpellier missed the chance to go top of Ligue 1 on Saturday evening as Rennes recorded a convincing 2-0 win.
Sylvain Marveaux put the hosts ahead in the 34th minute before Moussa Sow doubled the lead five minutes after the restart.
Asamoah Gyan sealed the win for Rennes in injury time as Montpellier suffered only their second defeat of the season to slip to fourth, two points behind leaders Bordeaux.
It was Montpellier, though, who had the first chance of the game in the 20th minute.
Victor Hugo Montano got his head to a free-kick from deep, but Nicolas Douchez in the Rennes goal was alert to collect the ball.
Alberto Costa then tried to catch Douchez off his line from long range but his effort drifted wide of the target.
Instead Rennes took the lead against the run of play as Jerome Leroy's pass found Marveaux on the right side of the area and he took on Emir Spahic before shifting the ball onto his left foot and dispatching a fantastic shot into the far top corner.
Marveaux just failed to get his head to a right-wing cross from Gyan two minutes later as Rennes finished the first half the stronger.
And the hosts went further ahead five minutes into the second half as Sow got a touch to Leroy's shot to deflect the ball into the net.
Things turned sour for Leroy just five minutes later, though, as he was carried off on a stretcher with what looked like a serious injury.
Montpellier had a chance to get back in the game in the 75th minute when Rennes failed to properly clear a Montano centre, but Gregory Lacombe blazed his shot over.
Marveaux and Montano both went close in quick succession with free-kicks at either end before, in the 90th minute, Montpellier's Souleymane Camara rounded Douchez and found the net only to see his effort ruled out for offside.
And there was worse to come for the visitors as Ghana striker Gyan beat two defenders before sending a right-footed shot into the top corner of Geoffrey Jourdren's goal.
