PARIS (AFP) - Djibril Cisse may have struggled to impose himself at Liverpool but on Saturday he showed the form which led the Reds to buy him in the first place with a hattrick in Marseille's 6-1 demolition of Caen.

The win rekindled the former European Cup winners' hopes of a place in the UEFA Cup after an inconsistent season which had brought just seven league wins in 22 matches, taking the southerners up to eighth place on the table.

With Lyon romping towards a seventh straight league title interest in the domestic programme has largely switched to whether fallen giants such as Marseille and Paris Saint Germain can muscle their way into the top four.

And although Saturday's goal blitz still leave's Cisse's men five points off a European slot the manner of their performance suggests they can achieve that ambition.

Coach Eric Gerets, without club top scorer Mamadou Niang, who is at the African Nations Cup with Senegal, saluted Cisse.

"He can do the business on the right or the left (but) sometimes I am right to go with him through the middle."

Gerets admitted the fans had been on Cisse's back but said after Saturday's showing "the fans like the players once more, one of them in particular."

Cisse, 27 in August, scored just 13 league goals in an injury-hit two seasons at Anfield, and has since been in and out of the Marseille side.

Earlier this month, club president Pape Diouf insisted he would not sell Cisse to English Premier League club Manchester City and the striker appeared to take that as a welcome vote of confidence.

"I knew he could become the goalscorer he once was," Diouf said after the players trooped off.

Caen had the temerity to take the lead inside the opening two minutes through Julien Toudic, but they were steamrollered thereafter by their hosts.

Cisse began his spree on 28 minutes with a close-range finish after a pass from Argentine Juan Angel Krupoviesa.

It looked as if Mathieu Valbuena would beat Cisse to the match ball as the former netted twice inside the final five minutes of the opening period, the first a cracking drive which resembled his shock Champions League group game winner at Liverpool this season and then a neat chip to make it 3-1.

Samir Nasri, whose late goal bagged a point at Nancy in midweek, fed Cisse down the left on 56 minutes and the gangly forward shot home past keeper Benoit Costil before completing his hattrick two minutes later after another confident run.

Ten minutes from time, Nasri raced into the box to deliver the coup de grace.

Also Saturday, Paris Saint Germain, struggling in midtable, saw their hopes of shooting up the table take a knock after a goalless draw away to Lille to leave the capital club on 29 points from their 23 games.

Elsewhere, Nancy stay third after a 0-0 draw at lowly Auxerre, while fourth-placed Nice made it 13 matches unbeaten with a 1-1 draw at strugglers Toulouse.

Fifth-placed Monaco slumped 1-0 at Le Mans, now just a point behind the principality side.

Sunday sees Lyon in action at local rivals St Etienne where once again the leaders will be without a clutch of injured regulars, including striker Sidney Govou, defender Cleber Anderson and Brazilian midfielder Juninho.

Bordeaux have a vastly inferior goal difference but could go level on points at the top if they win Sunday at Lorient and Lyon lose.