Aymen Abdennour's early own goal and a strike from Ola Toivonen have given Rennes a comfortable 2-0 half-time lead over an indifferent Monaco side.
The first half did not produce the start that Monaco were hoping for as they looked to usurp Rennes in seventh place, with Abdennour somehow managing to put the ball into his own net with just 10 minutes played.
Monaco's early misery was compounded only minutes later when Rennes marksman Toivonen broke free to latch on to a cross from Paul-Georges Ntep and tuck home into the bottom corner with his right foot.
A desperate-looking Monaco went in search of a route back into the game and Dimitar Berbatov almost found it when he met Bernardo Silva's cross, only to head wide of the post as Rennes went into the interval with a healthy advantage.
Christopher Dodd
