Timber-Nwaneri impress as OM debutants in win over leaders Lens | OneFootball

Quinten Timber and Ethan Nwaneri marked sharp debuts as Marseille beat leaders Lens 3-1 on Saturday, three days after joining. L'Équipe notes the pair injected energy in their respective roles.

The night followed a 0-3 loss to Liverpool in the Champions League, and Roberto De Zerbi reshaped his XI, starting both signings. The occasion was high stakes against the league leaders, with one end closed.

For Nwaneri, the stakes were high. Preferred to the usually indispensable Mason Greenwood, who was benched for only the third time this season, the 18-year-old loanee from Arsenal showed lively intent on the right. He scored in the 13th minute, accelerating inside on to his left before curling past Robin Risser.

He threatened repeatedly and slotted smoothly into OM’s passing patterns. Timber required little adaptation alongside Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg, relieving him of defensive chores and winning duels with smart body use and astute positioning.

Signed from Feyenoord on a four-and-a-half-year deal, Timber also hinted at box-to-box potential, a profile rare in this squad, perhaps bar Darryl Bakola, the youngster expected to depart this winter. At OM, though, bright beginnings can fade.

Bakola burst onto the scene against Newcastle, a 2-1 Champions League win on 25 November, then slipped from view. Arthur Vermeeren, lauded after his first start against Ajax Amsterdam, a 4-0 victory on 30 September, has since fallen down the pecking order and did not feature against Lens.

Source: L'Équipe