PLAYER RATINGS | Le Havre 0-1 Marseille: Mason Greenwood ends goal drought to re-spark OM Europa league hopes | OneFootball

Marseille get back to winning ways with a slender 1-0 win over Le Havre as Mason Greenwood ended a six-game goal-drought to keep OM’s chances of qualifying for Europe alive from the penalty spot.THE MATCH Marseille’s long-winding and turbulent season took another turn last weekend following a 3-0 loss against FC Nantes, and it only would trigger another dramatic and absurd week at the Commanderie training ground. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang didn’t make Les Marseillais’ squad after an incident involving a fire-extinguisher and a club official, in a frenzied moment following four days of the players being locked down at the training ground. Once again, the attention was being put on OM and off-pitch events and tensions, with Le Havre on the horizon. Didier Digard’s men come into the game hoping to secure a third straight survival campaign in Ligue 1. This fragile Marseille side came out tentatively in the opening periods, and Digards men sniffed out the nervous energy, creating their first chances. After a superb one-two with Boufal, Soumaré unleashed a dangerous strike, but Rulli stepped in decisively to deny the first attempt from the hosts. Another came shortly after from the following corner, as OM desperately cleared their lines. Les Marseillais were quick from a free kick to play Gouiri down the left hand side and his curled strike would fall just wide of the right post. Paixao would get a chance later in the first half following a scuffle in the box, put he would slip at the wrong moment as Le Havre defended doggedly. But the hosts would end up testing Rulli once more as Sofiane Boufal’s free-kick met Gautier Lloris and the Frenchman’s flicked effort was saved by the Argentine before getting up and saving the rebound. Marseille made the same mistakes and errors against Le Havre that they made against Nantes, yet a mix of an imperious Geronimo Rulli and a lack of clear cut finishing ability from the hosts would keep the score at 0-0. Just after the break Amine Gouiri arrived at the back post and turned wide a cross from Nnadi from close range. Greenwood would get more involved, cutting inside and earning a freekick from a favourable position just outside the box. His free-kick would hit the wall, before the referee waved away claims of a handball offence. But the referee would point to the spot just 30 seconds later when the ball made contact with Yanis Zouaoui’s hand in the wall. Mason Greenwood would step up to convert for his first goal in six matches, celebrating with a ‘zip’ gesture and a shush after receiving criticism over the past month (55′). Only minutes later would Le Havre get their chance to equalise from the spot, after Soufiane Boufal was brought down by Medina in the box. Yet the Moroccan stepped up and rattled the crossbar with his strike, before Rulli was able to claw away the rebound. Queue the Argentine getting mobbed by his defenders as Marseille rode out the biggest chance, and Boufal pensively left the pitch as he was substituted. The latter period saw Le Havre with the majority of possession, as OM moved into a deeper block to defend their slender lead. Igor Paixao would break through at the end and send a finish one-on-one past Mory Diaw, but the goal would be ruled out by VAR in injury time. HAVRE AC PLAYER RATINGSMory Diaw – 5 Arouna Sangante – 5Ayumu Seko – 6Gautier Lloris – 6Yanis Zouaoui – 5Rassoul Ndiaye – 5Lucas Gourna-Douath – 5Fodé Doucouré – 5Sofiane Boufal – 4

The Moroccan looked to threaten in the opening stages and his delivery from dead ball situations was dangerous, as well as his evident passing qualities. Yet his influence began to fade in the latter periods of the game. He did well to earn the penalty when he went down in the Marseille box, yet was unlucky when his strike smashed into the crossbar.Issa Soumaré – 5Mbwana Ally Samatta – 5OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE PLAYER RATINGSGeronimo Rulli – 6Made some vital saves in the first half, notably his double save from Boufal’s freekick and a rebounded strike from Gautier Lloris. Then came the moment from penalty spot, a bit of luck saw Boufal’s penalty rattle the crossbar Should do him the world of confidence following a downturn in performances the last few months.Emerson Palmieri – 5Benjamin Pavard – 5Leonardo Balerdi – 5

The Argentine looked like he was carrying the hangover of the Nantes defeat in his legs, and started the game nervously. Yet he grew into the affair as the Marseille backline settled in the second period and made a couple of great interventions and interceptions late on in the affair.Facundo Medina – 5Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – 5Tochukwu Nnadi – 5Quinten Timber – 4Igor Paixao – 4Mason Greenwood – 6The Englishman finally got back in the goals after having endured his longest scoreless run in a Marseille shirt in six games. At the centre of criticism from the French press, and at odds with his coach at times, he would convert the penalty which put OM ahead, after effectively earning it with the free-kick before and the strike towards the wall which was given as a somewhat harsh handball. He did start the game in much the same vein of form as against Nantes, slowly, not doing enough in tracking back. But as he grew into the game, he started to impact the game more, and his penalty would prove the decisive moment.Amine Gouiri – 4GFFN | George Boxall