This was a key contest in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) dogfight, with a mere two points separating five clubs competing for a top-three finish heading into this match.
Given what was at stake, both teams opted for a cautious approach in the opening exchanges with very little in the way of goalscoring chances.
The first clear-cut opportunity came when Mason Greenwood slipped a perfectly-weighted through ball to Michael Amir Murillo, who was denied by Lucas Chevalier in a one-on-one situation.
In truth, this game produced a largely forgettable first half which yielded only two shots on target – both falling to the visitors – and reflected by the mostly subdued atmosphere inside the ground.
In turn, Adrien Rabiot looked to take matters into his own hands at the start of the second half, and was denied by Chevalier after being teed up by Amine Gouiri from the byline.
Lille were really struggling to muster many opportunities themselves, but Jonathan David did have an effort ruled out for offside after mistiming his run on goal.
However, it was the visitors who struck first in the 57th minute through Gouiri in a wonderfully crafted team goal. Ulisses Garcia threaded a superb ball into the path of Rabiot, who in turn teed up Gouri to apply a clinical close-range finish past Chevalier.
Bruno Génésio’s men would restore parity though, following some calamitous Marseille defending, as David intercepted Gerónimo Rulli’s attempted clearance and played in Matias Fernandez-Pardo to fire home an equaliser. Buoyed by the goal, David rifled a speculative volley just over the bar moments later.
De Zerbi’s men would have been hugely frustrated not to hold onto all three points, but will be content after leapfrogging Monaco in the table, and ending a sobering sequence of four successive away H2H defeats against Les Dogues.
Meanwhile, Génésio’s men continued their impressive record of being one of only two sides to score in every home league game this season and move up one place into fifth.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Adrien Rabiot (Olympique de Marseille)