Mason Greenwood achieved a personal best of four goals as Marseille triumphed over a 10-man Le Havre with a score of 6-2, surpassing their rivals Paris Saint-Germain to claim the top spot in the Ligue 1 table on Saturday.
The former Manchester United attacker, who permanently joined Marseille in the summer of 2024, proved to be an indomitable force, leading his squad to their fifth consecutive victory.
Following eight match days, Marseille held a slim one-point advantage over PSG, who had settled for a draw at home against Strasbourg on Friday.
Marseille showcased their offensive capabilities by scoring a total of 21 goals in eight games while also displaying enhanced defensive solidity under the guidance of coach Roberto De Zerbi.
“This was a truly exceptional evening,” stated Marseille’s team captain, Leonardo Balerdi.
After Le Havre’s defender, Gautier Lloris, was ejected for intentionally handling the ball within the penalty area, Greenwood successfully converted the resulting penalty kick, leveling the score. Yassine Kechta had previously given Le Havre the lead.
Greenwood continued his impressive performance by adding three more goals in the second half. His contributions have been significant since arriving in Marseille, where he shared the title of top scorer with Ousmane Dembélé, both tallying 21 goals last season. However, Dembélé was awarded the trophy due to having scored fewer penalty goals than Greenwood.
Greenwood became the first Marseille player in Ligue 1 to score four goals in a single match since Jean-Pierre Papin accomplished the feat in 1991.
Robinio Vaz and Amir Murillo contributed Marseille’s other goals, while Aboulaye Touré of Le Havre reduced the deficit with an impressive left-footed volley from outside the box that found the top corner.
Lyon, the seven-time champions, had an opportunity to overtake PSG with a victory against Nice, but they suffered a 3-2 defeat despite dominating for extended periods on the French Riviera.
The visiting team quickly found themselves trailing as Nice defender Melvin Bard capitalized on a well-delivered cross from Sofiane Diop in the fifth minute.
Lyon maintained control for much of the first half and rightfully equalized around the half-hour mark with a header from Pavel Sulc.
However, Nice capitalized on their limited opportunities, regaining the lead five minutes later when Diop transitioned from provider to scorer with a well-executed finish from a difficult angle.
Lyon’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles was awarded a penalty kick after halftime, but his attempt was thwarted by Nice’s goalkeeper, Yehvann Diouf.
Hicham Boudaoui solidified the victory with a goal in the 55th minute. Sulc managed to score again for Lyon in added time, but it was not enough to change the outcome.
Nice brought an end to a five-match winless streak across all competitions and climbed to eighth place, trailing Lyon by four points.
U.S. forward Folarin Balogun scored his second league goal of the season for Monaco, who currently sit in fifth place, in a 1-1 draw against Angers, who are struggling.
After a goalless first half, Balogun was introduced as a substitute in the 62nd minute as part of changes implemented by Monaco’s new coach, Sébastien Pocognoli, which ultimately proved effective.
Balogun was set up just outside the penalty area by a clever touch from another substitute, Takumi Minamino, and he skillfully evaded a defender’s challenge before placing a low shot into the net in the 72nd minute.
However, Monaco was unable to maintain their lead as 18-year-old center forward Sidiki Cherif scored his first Ligue 1 goal with only four minutes remaining in the match.
Information sourced from The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.
