PLAYER RATINGS | Marseille 5-1 Saint-Étienne: Gouiri scores brace as five-star Phocéens thrash ASSE | OneFootball

Ligue 1 Matchday 22, 15/02/2025Roberto De Zerbi’s Olympique de Marseille further consolidate their bid for Champions League football with an emphatic win over Saint-Étienne at the Vélodrome on Saturday afternoon. THE MATCH:Olympique de Marseille further consolidated their spot in second in the Ligue 1 table after dominating at the Vélodrome against a struggling Saint-Étienne outfit. Roberto De Zerbi made it three wins in a row in the top flight against a Sainté outfit that was swallowed up at packed Vélodrome on Saturday afternoon.

It was the hosts that started the brightest at a sunny Stade Vélodrome. Captain Leonardo Balerdi nodded the ball into the back of the net for what the Vélodrome thought was the opener, but the referee would consult VAR and end up ruling the goal out for too much contact on ASSE goalkeeper Gautier Larsonneur. Les Phocéens would keep on generating chances to get in front. Mason Greenwood was denied at close range by Larsonneur, before Rabiot blasted over the bar from close range.

The breakthrough would come through one of OM’s newest signings, Amine Gouiri. Having already registered three assists so far with Les Olympiens, the Algerian finished emphatically from range with a curled effort from around 20-yards outside the box. It was simply unstoppable for Larsonneur to get any fingertips to it. By the break, OM were clearly the side in the ascendancy, with ASSE not making the most of their odd skirmish up the pitch.

Straight out for the second half, and Gouiri would be involved in the action once again. This time the Algerian’s drive into the box finished with a cross which deflected off Mikael Nade’s arm, and the referee had to consult VAR before pointing to the spot. OM’s top scorer Greenwood would step up and convert confidently to double the lead for Les Olympiens.

De Zerbi’s men just wouldn’t stop in their attacking intent, this time Larsonneur did well to save from Gouiri and then Merlin, but Sainté’s defence was all over the place and Murillo was allowed to simply tap home into an open net for Marseille’s third. Gouiri would then add a fourth and his second of the day with a deft chip after the hosts steal the ball off the Sainté defence and send the Algerian through one-on-one with Larsonneur. Adrien Rabiot then grabbed his fifth goal of the season, heading home from debutant Amar Dedic’s cross and first assist for Les Phocéens. (76′)The away side would grab a goal back through Lucas Stassin, picking up on an error by the OM defence and finishing low past Rulli, but it would be too little too late for Les Stéphanois, as OM condemned them to a straight third defeat in the league.OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE PLAYER RATINGS: Géronimo Rulli – 6Quentin Merlin – 4Leonardo Balerdi – 6Derek Cornelius – 5Amir Murillo – 6 Murillo is perhaps one of the more underrated OM players under De Zerbi, but has been quietly becoming one of the most reliable defenders for Marseille this season. He topped it all off with a goal (albeit a simple finish). Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – 5 Another solid performance from the Dane, without an overly spectacular match in terms of his tackling ability and his play-making. He was once again however the midfield engine which helped drive OM’s passing play through the middle of the pitch, and is enjoying a growing relationship with Ismaël Bennacer. Adrien Rabiot – 7A quieter outing that expected for the French international, but he still managed to provide a good level of link-up play with OM’s attackers. He managed to get into a few good attacking positions and managed to nod his fifth goal this season in the second period. Ismaël Bennacer – 6 He built upon a solid debut outing at Angers with another assuring outing in his Vélodrome debut. The Algerian sat low and was a key part of OM’s build-up play through the centre of the pitch. He is starting to form a good bond with Pierre-Emile Højbjerg in the midfield areas, which has allowed Rabiot to playa further up the pitch.Mason Greenwood – 6The Englishman doesn’t have to be the center of OM’s attacking display to prove effective. His build-up play was much improved compared to recent outings at the Vélodrome, and he stepped up when needed to convert OM’s penalty to double the lead in the second half.Amine Gouiri – 8Since joining Marseille, Amine Gouiri has now had five goal involvements in his first three appearances for Les Olympiens (Two goals, three assists). He really came into his own this afternoon, scoring a stunning opener from range. His drive and attempted cross then led to OM’s second of the evening, before deftly finishing with an lovely chip to complete his brace. Luis Henrique – 5The Brazilian didn’t get involved in the goal-scoring action today, and had a quieter performance in terms of his attacking output. Yet he still did his bit, and provided an assured performance without overly impressing.AS SAINT-ÉTIENNE PLAYER RATINGSGuatier Larsonneur – 4When any goalkeeper concedes five goals, it’s always easy to point the blame at whoever is in-between the sticks. Yet Larsonneur was simply not helped by his defence, summed up by OM’s third goal when he had made a perfectly fine double save from Gouiri and Merlin, before Murillo simply tapped into an open net.Mickaël Nadé – 3Pierre Ekwah – 4Léo Petrot – 3Dylan Batubinsika – 3Bejamamin Bouchouari – 3Florian Tardieu – 3Augustine Boakye – 4Zuriko Davitashvili – 4Lucas Stassin – 6GFFN | George Boxall – Reporting from Marseille’s Stade Vélodrome.