Seeking to bounce back from a 7-1 thumping in their previous outing against Lille, Lorient’s game plan went out the window after only 12 minutes. Michael Amir Murillo caught the visiting defence off guard with a run in behind and was taken down in the box by Darlin Yongwa, who was shown a straight red card.
Mason Greenwood coolly tucked the resulting penalty into the bottom corner, opening the floodgates as Marseille asserted their dominance in an impressive first half.
A second goal came on the 20th minute, with Benjamin Pavard finding space in the box to power Greenwood’s corner high into the net.
The onslaught continued, and Angel Gomes made it three just after the half-hour mark. A corner was only half-cleared to the edge of the area, where Gomes took a touch before rifling a powerful volley beyond Yvon Mvogo.
The misery was almost compounded just before half-time when Bamo Meite, playing on loan for Lorient from Marseille, caught Amine Gouiri around the neck with a clumsy challenge in the area. A VAR review for a penalty looked like a forgone conclusion, but an offside in the build-up gave the visitors a reprieve as Gouiri was stretchered off.
The hosts continued to dominate after the break, albeit with less intensity, thanks to their three-goal lead. Greenwood had two excellent chances to extend the lead, yet an outstanding save from Mvogo denied his header from point-blank range, and he fired just over the bar after a neat passing move.
In the dying moments, the hosts added a fourth when Nayef Aguerd’s shot from distance took a massive deflection on its way into the net.
The three points propel Marseille into the top four for now, whilst heavy back-to-back defeats for Lorient must be a concern for Olivier Pantaloni as they occupy the relegation play-off spot.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Angel Gomes (Marseille)
