Monaco boss Sebastien Pocognoli entered the match as a manager under pressure, despite steering his team into the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds with a goalless draw against Juventus in midweek.
Desperate to end a five-game winless league run, Monaco went agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock in the opening 15 minutes when Denis Zakaria guided his side-footed effort against Brice Samba’s far post.
Rennes ultimately failed to take heed of that warning and soon found themselves behind following a neat finish from Ansu Fati, who vindicated Pocognoli for his decision to hand him his first start since November’s reverse fixture. The Barcelona loanee drove a low shot between Samba’s legs after being sent through on goal by Folarin Balogun’s neat pass.
That proved to be Fati’s last meaningful act of the contest, as he made way for Maghnes Akliouche at the interval.
His replacement required just five minutes to make a significant impression, tapping home from close range after the ball bounced off Aleksandr Golovin from Kassoum Ouattara’s deflected effort against the post.
Rennes thought they had halved the deficit just moments later when Esteban Lepaul steered the ball in from a low cross, only for VAR to chalk it off for an offside in the build-up.
Mamadou Coulibaly soon compounded the visitors’ frustration, racing in behind a backline that featured Chelsea-linked Jeremy Jacquet before he calmly slid the ball beyond Samba to effectively seal all three points before the hour mark.
The hosts’ clean sheet was briefly thrown into doubt after the referee pointed to the spot for a challenge on former Monaco striker Breel Embolo, but replays soon showed that there was little contact and an offside in the build-up.
The hosts stood firm to claim their fourth Ligue 1 shutout and even took their own goal tally to four through Stanis Idumbo, whose mis-hit effort trickled over the line to wrap up a victory that moves the 10th-placed side to within four points of Rennes in sixth.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mamadou Coulibaly (Monaco)
Click here for more on the match
