Monaco entered this match looking to bounce back from their Europa League humiliation at the hands of Trabzonspor, facing a Clermont side that has already surprised many this term.
Les Monegasques’ task became harder in the 17th minute when Mohamed Camara was shown a straight red card for a poor challenge on Saif-Eddine Khaoui as the Tunisia international attempted to make a burst forward.
Surprisingly, Philippe Clement opted to withdraw both Wissam Ben Yedder and Takumi Minamino in response.
That decision left Breel Embolo up front on his own, although the striker still brilliantly held up the ball and lured Yohann Magnin into fouling him in the box. Mory Diaw saved Embolo’s initial penalty but the ball fortuitously bounced back to the Switzerland international for him to poke home his third goal in as many league games.
Clermont had hardly asked a single question of the hosts since the sending-off but responded with four attempts in quick succession, which included Muhammed Cham hitting the post and Caio Henrique denying Khaoui on the line.
The visitors largely controlled possession after the restart, getting their reward when Komnen Andric coolly converted the rebound after Alexander Nubel had saved Khaoui’s strike.
Nubel then made a big mistake in the 66th minute when he threw the ball straight to Neto Borges, although he was let off as the wing-back failed to hit the target with his ensuing shot.
The guests were left frustrated in front of goal again with a quarter-hour remaining as Khaoui and Cham both made a mess of their attempts from a promising opening.
Monaco had an encouraging break forward in the latter stages but Diaw denied Ismail Jakobs, as Les Monegasques were unable to secure a sixth consecutive Ligue 1 win.
Meanwhile, Clermont missed out on the opportunity to win three consecutive top-flight matches for the first time in their history but have only lost one of their last six league matches.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Breel Embolo (AS Monaco)