With both sides suffering defeat in their final outing before the FIFA World Cup break, the opening exchanges of the contest were understandably cagey.
Monaco gradually gained control of proceedings before the half-hour mark, but it was the hosts who were given a golden opportunity to take the lead when Eliot Matazo collided with Lassine Sinayoko inside the box.
M’Baye Niang stepped up to take the resulting penalty and fired his spot-kick straight down the middle to give Auxerre a valuable lead.
Undeterred by the setback, Monaco searched for a swift response before half time, and were duly awarded a penalty of their own, as Gideon Mensah stuck out a leg to clumsily trip Takumi Minamino.
Wissam Ben Yedder assumed the responsibility, and confidently sent Benoît Costil the wrong way to score his seventh league goal of the season and restore parity going into the break.
There was far more intent on display at the start of the second half at both ends, and it was Monaco who came out on top, as the visitors took a deserved lead shortly before the hour mark.
Aleksandr Golovin demonstrated brilliant composure to lure in the Auxerre defence, before sliding a clever through ball into the feet of substitute Ben Seghir, who finished coolly under the body of Costil.
Having seen their advantage evaporate, Auxerre provided the best possible response with an equaliser 10 minutes later, as Youssouf Fofana diverted the ball into his own net from Hamza Sakhi’s delivery.
Both sides went in pursuit of a late winner with 15 minutes remaining, and it was Ben Seghir who again came to the fore with a stunning long-range strike to secure all three points for Monaco.
The result leaves them within touching distance of the UEFA Champions League places, while Auxerre remain rooted inside the relegation zone.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Eliesse Ben Seghir (AS Monaco)