Nwaneri finds net on Marseille bow as Lens surrender summit position

Ethan Nwaneri netted just 13 minutes into his first appearance for Marseille following his loan move from Arsenal to secure a 3-1 victory against in-form Lens in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

Amine Gouiri opened the scoring with a deflected shot at the Velodrome before the 18-year-old Nwaneri extended the advantage shortly after.

The England under-21 player picked up possession inside his own half and drove forward without opposition to the fringe of the Lens penalty area, switching to his left foot and curling in from 20 metres.

Gouiri added a second on 75 minutes to confirm the points, slotting home a delivery from Timothy Weah, with Lens replying late through replacement Rayan Fofana.

Nwaneri arrived at Marseille on Friday for a season-long loan after limited action with the Premier League frontrunners this season, building on his breakout 2024-25 year where he notched nine goals and signed a fresh five-year contract with Arsenal.

Roberto De Zerbi rested the divisions leading marksman Mason Greenwood ahead of Lens to preserve energy for Wednesdays crucial Champions League clash at Club Brugge.

Instead he introduced Nwaneri immediately alongside new arrival Quinten Timber, brother of Arsenal back Jurrien, facing a team that had triumphed in eight straight matches and 11 of their last 12 to launch a surprise title bid with Paris Saint-Germain.

Lens held onto their narrow lead over recent weeks but champions of France and Europe PSG overtook them on Friday courtesy of a 1-0 success against Auxerre.

Monaco continued to struggle with a goalless draw away to Le Havre, leaving the club from the principality with only one win from nine fixtures and slipping to 10th in the table.

Lorient pushed their unbeaten league sequence to eight matches by beating Rennes 2-0, as the hosts missed a chance to enter the Champions League qualification spots.