Marseille put five past rivals Nice to go top of Ligue 1

Olympique de Marseille have moved to the top of Ligue 1 after defeating local rivals OGC Nice in emphatic fashion with a 5-1 victory at the Allianz Riviera.

The visitors started on the front foot and were duly rewarded with the lead after 11 minutes, when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang turned the ball home from close range following a corner-kick for his fifth Ligue 1 goal of the season.

Just after the half-hour mark, Marseille came close to doubling their advantage as Mason Greenwood’s dribble into the penalty area resulted in a firm effort tipped around the post by Yehvann Diouf.

The pressure on the hosts soon told, though, and Roberti De Zerbi’s side extended their lead in the 33rd minute thanks to Greenwood’s deflected shot, which wrong-footed the goalkeeper. 

Tempers immediately flared in the aftermath of the goal, as a large number of players from both clubs got involved in heated arguments that took a while to de-escalate.

Nice almost grabbed a lifeline in the latter stages of the first half in outrageous fashion, when Terem Moffi’s incredible back-heeled volley was superbly tipped over the bar by Jeffrey de Lange to keep his clean sheet intact.

Moffi was presented with a much simpler opportunity at the start of stoppage time, but his close-range shot was aimed straight at the goalkeeper.

Just before the referee blew the whistle for the interval, Les Phocéens really should have wrapped the game up, but a golden chance went begging as Igor Paixão fluffed his lines with just Diouf to beat.