Seeking to bounce back from a 7-1 thumping in their previous outing against Lille, Lorient’s game plan went out the window after only 12 minutes. Michael Amir Murillo caught the visiting defence off guard with a run in behind and was taken down in the box by Darlin Yongwa, who was shown a straight red card.
Mason Greenwood scored the resulting penalty, opening the floodgates as Marseille asserted their dominance in an impressive first half.
A second goal came on the 20th minute, with Benjamin Pavard finding space in the box to power a corner high into the net.
The onslaught continued, and Angel Gomes made it three just after the half-hour mark. A corner was only half-cleared to the edge of the area, where Gomes took a touch before rifling a powerful volley beyond Yvon Mvogo.
The misery was almost compounded just before half-time when Bamo Meite, playing on loan for Lorient from Marseille, caught Amine Gouiri around the neck with a clumsy challenge in the area. A VAR review for a penalty looked like a forgone conclusion, but an offside in the build-up gave the visitors a reprieve as Gouiri was stretchered off.
The hosts continued to dominate after the break, albeit with less intensity, thanks to their three-goal lead. Greenwood had two excellent chances to extend the lead, yet an outstanding save from Mvogo denied his header from point-blank range, and he fired just over the bar after a neat passing move.
In the dying moments, the hosts added a fourth when Nayef Aguerd’s shot from distance took a massive deflection on its way into the net.
The three points propel Marseille into the top four for now, whilst heavy back-to-back defeats for Lorient must be a concern for Olivier Pantaloni as they occupy the relegation play-off spot.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Angel Gomes (Marseille)