Brighton roar back at Marseille to earn historic first point in Europe

Brighton’s trip into the unknown was always going to be a steep learning curve. But Roberto De Zerbi’s side recovered from the shock of conceding two goals in less than 90 seconds to Marseille’s Chancel Mbemba and Jordan Veretout to secure a vital point thanks to a magnificent fightback capped by the substitute João Pedro’s equaliser from the penalty spot two minutes from full time.

It was the Brazilian’s third successful penalty of the competition already after Pascal Gross had pulled one back and while Brighton remain bottom of their group in their debut Europa League campaign after losing their opening match against AEK Athens, they showed they belong at this level and kept their hopes of progressing to the group stages very much still alive.

Brighton’s chief executive Paul Barber, had described their first taste of European football on the continent as “another test” for the club that has come so far in a short space of time. There can be few as intimidating atmospheres as the Stade Vélodrome for a Marseille home game, even if the French club’s manager, Gennaro Gattuso, came into his first game here with his new side having failed to win in their last five matches.

Home supporters behind Jason Steele’s goal unfurled a giant tifo as the players emerged on to the pitch at the start with the words ‘Our hate, Our pride’ that underlined their complicated relationship with the current side after a poor start to the season. There are no such issues with Brighton these days of course, although heavy traffic meant that even the intervention of their owner and chairman, Tony Bloom, could not help some visiting fans avoid a mad dash to the stadium after the flight he was on was delayed and Bloom had arranged for coaches to collect them from the airport.

De Zerbi had stoked his personal rivalry with Gattuso before the match by admitting that this game “would be different” to a Serie C playoff he lost while managing Foggia in 2016. Once again, he opted to make wholesale changes as only five players who started the 6-1 annihilation at Aston Villa on Saturday retained their places.

But having appeared to weather an early storm from Marseille, Brighton were hit by two quick goals that left them reeling. Both came down the left flank usually occupied by Pervis Estupiñán, with the injured Ecuador defender’s replacement, Tariq Lamptey, left bamboozled by a great move that culminated in Mbemba sweeping home a cross from Jonathan Clauss. The second was almost a carbon copy after Lewis Dunk’s botched clearance squandered possession and Veretout was able to double Marseille’s lead from Amine Harit’s cross after Steele failed to react quickly enough to his shot.

Confirmation that it was not going to be Brighton’s night seemed to come soon after when the referee, Mykola Balakin, initially awarded them a penalty for a handball, only to overturn it for a foul by JanPaul van Hecke just beforehand after consulting the pitchside monitor. Things could have got even worse for the visitors had Steele not been equal to Harit’s effort from outside the area as the home side smelled blood.

An Ansu Fati header just before half-time from Mo Dahoud’s precise chip that forced Pau López into serious action for the first time at least gave De Zerbi something to cling on to at the break, with Danny Welbeck also coming close to reducing the arrears.

The lifeline Brighton were looking for eventually came nine minutes into the second half when Lamptey played in Kaoru Mitoma and his cut-back was finished off first time by Gross. Suddenly Brighton managed to find their groove, prompting Gattuso to withdraw Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in an attempt to shut up shop. The substitute Vitinha could have settled it 20 minutes from time after a quick breakaway, only for Dunk to save the day with a last-ditch tackle.

De Zerbi threw on Pedro, Simon Adingra and Evan Ferguson as his side continued to press for an equaliser, with Mitoma drawing a good save from Torres at the end of a swift counterattack. The Japan winger looked the most likely source of a goal but it was Lamptey who drew JClauss into a clumsy challenge inside the area and Pedro kept his cool to make it a night to remember for Brighton and their fans.