Marseille make merry in Lille

By Chris Burke

Olympique de Marseille put their French Cup exit behind them to inflict a first home league defeat of the season on second-placed LOSC Lille Métropole, winning 2-1 to prevent the northern side moving joint-top of Ligue 1.

Rapid reaction
Marseille coach Philippe Troussier demanded a reaction from his players after they lost to Ligue 2 side SCO Angers at the weekend and it came as quickly as the third minute, Steve Marlet scoring from close range after Habib Beye headed Benoît Pedretti's free-kick into his path. Lille were lacking the intensity that served them so well last year and when Efstathios Tavlaridis slipped on the ball 20 minutes later, Marlet intercepted to provide 17-year-old Samir Nasri with an unmissable chance.

Brunel penalty
The home side looked more urgent in the second half and were handed a lifeline after Marseille's Abdoulaye Meité brought down striker Matt Moussilou in the area on 52 minutes. Captain Philippe Brunel stepped up to convert from the spot, but Marseille held on despite late pressure to move up into fourth place. Victory in this game would have taken Lille level with leaders Olympique Lyonnais, but they now face the prospect of falling six points behind if the French champions overcome FC Sochaux-Montbéliard on Wednesday.