Mason Greenwood delivered a masterclass on Saturday, netting a stunning four goals as Marseille crushed 10-man Le Havre 6-2 to climb above Paris Saint-Germain at the summit of the Ligue 1 table.
The former Manchester United forward, who sealed a permanent move to Marseille last summer, was simply unplayable, inspiring his side to a fifth consecutive league win under Roberto De Zerbi.
After eight rounds, Marseille lead PSG by a single point, with the champions having been held to a home draw by Strasbourg on Friday.
The southern giants have now plundered 21 goals in eight matches and finally seem to have found balance at both ends of the pitch.
“It was the perfect evening,” captain Leonardo Balerdi said after the final whistle.
Le Havre had drawn first blood through Yassine Kechta, but their hopes faded when defender Gautier Lloris handled deliberately in the box and was sent off.
Greenwood stepped up to convert the resulting penalty before running riot in the second half, adding three more goals to complete a remarkable quadruple.
His heroics made him the first Marseille player to score four times in a Ligue 1 match since club legend Jean-Pierre Papin achieved the feat in 1991.
Greenwood had already proven his goal-scoring prowess last season, finishing level on 21 goals with Ousmane Dembélé — though the Frenchman claimed the Golden Boot due to fewer penalties.
Robinio Vaz and Amir Murillo were also on target for Marseille, while Le Havre’s Aboulaye Touré struck a consolation wonder goal, a thunderous left-foot volley from outside the box that flew into the top corner.
Elsewhere, Lyon missed the chance to leapfrog PSG as they fell 3-2 to Nice despite long spells of dominance on the French Riviera.
Nice made a dream start when Melvin Bard converted a cross from Sofiane Diop in the fifth minute.
Lyon hit back through Pavel Sulc’s header on 29 minutes, but Diop restored Nice’s lead shortly after with a fine finish from a tight angle.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles had the opportunity to level from the spot early in the second half, but his penalty was saved by goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf. Hicham Boudaoui added a third for Nice in the 55th minute before Sulc’s late strike reduced the deficit.
The win ended Nice’s five-match winless run across all competitions and lifted them to eighth, four points adrift of Lyon.
In another fixture, U.S. striker Folarin Balogun came off the bench to score his second goal of the campaign for Monaco in a 1-1 draw at struggling Angers.
After a quiet first half, new Monaco boss Sébastien Pocognoli’s substitutions paid off as Takumi Minamino’s clever touch set up Balogun, who held off his marker and finished coolly in the 72nd minute.
But the hosts snatched a late equaliser when 18-year-old Sidiki Cherif bagged his maiden Ligue 1 goal with four minutes to play, denying Monaco all three points.
