Liverpool - 1 Marseille - 1 A footballing mistral swept across Merseyside last night and blew much of the optimism which had briefly engulfed Liverpool in recent weeks away with it.
In becoming the first French club to score in this arena since St Etienne in 1977, Marseille have an away goal to savour in the return at the Stade Velodrome in a fortnight, leaving Gerard Houllier's UEFA Cup aspirations on a knife's edge. The French may have been unfancied opponents, but they have proved venmous.
Chris Kirkland's late save from Didier Drogba - a striker Liverpool could not quell - at least kept the tie level going into the second leg but it is clear where the advantage lies. Fuelled by a side from the south of France, the frustration is back in these parts.
The Kop had cheerfully held aloft its allez allez mosaic before kick-off, weeks of grumbling forgotten amid the colourful cards, yet any misguided belief that Marseille were primed for a pummelling had been doused in depressing reality by the break. They may be under-achievers in France at the moment - much like the locals in the Premiership - but they began the season in the Champions League and therefore boasted a pedigree Liverpool had yet to confront this term.
By swamping midfield with bodies, granting the talented Laurent Batlles rein to roam, they drowned the home side's early intent. Even the normally unquenchable Steven Gerrard struggled, treading water with Matthieu Flamini and Sylvain N'Diaye cramping his style, while Drogba celebrated his 26th birthday by battering his markers relentlessly.
The Ivorian scored five goals in six appearances among Europe's elite in the autumn and, had Steve Marlet shown similar bite, Marseille might have further tested the home crowd's patience. The France international, on loan from Fulham, set up Marseille's best opportunity, his awkward through ball prompting panic with Drogba and Kirkland colliding as they competed for possession. Marlet, unmarked on the edge of the area, should have scored but speared inexplicably wide of a gaping goal.
Batlles's scuffed shot from Sebastien Perez's pass reinforced the sense that Liverpool were vulnerable, with their own attacks too often spluttering to nothing.
Harry Kewell's low centre was patted at goal by Michael Owen from the edge of the area for Fabien Barthez, another loan player booed throughout for his Manchester United connections, to flop on to the loose ball.
Given that was as good as it had got, an improvement was demanded thereafter with Dietmar Hamann's flicked header over from Gerrard's free-kick a sign of renewed purpose. Even so, it must be vaguely alarming for Houllier that it takes a half-time pep talk to prompt his side to raise the tempo. Regardless, and just as it had proved against Levski Sofia in the last round, the reminder yielded reward.
Owen's performance had been meandering dishearteningly until he spun and flicked Gerrard through on goal 10 minutes from the restart. The Liverpool captain crunched into a challenge with Barthez which left the pair prone on the turf for Baros, beating the retreating Abdoulyae Meite to the loose ball, to toe-poke it gleefully into the corner.
The goal initially deflated Marseilles. Indeed, it enraged Drogba, who increasingly resorted to petty swipes as much at opposing players as at goal. But Liverpool should have known better than to sit deep and soak up the sporadic pressure. The striker is too classy to be ignored and, with the home side struggling to clear their lines, Drogba beat Kirkland to a loose ball and rammed his 22nd goal of the season into the net.
LIVERPOOL: Kirkland, Finnan (Biscan 89), Henchoz, Hyypia, Carragher, Murphy (Heskey 82), Hamann, Gerrard, Kewell, Baros, Owen. Subs Not Used: Diouf, Riise, Sinama Pongolle, Cheyrou, Dudek. Goals: Baros 55.
MARSEILLE: Barthez, Beye, Hemdani, Meite, Perez (Ferreira 62), N'Diaye, Flamini, Dos Santos, Batlles (Meriem 67), Marlet, Drogba. Subs Not Used: Mido, Johansen, Ecker, Celestini, Gavanon. Booked: Barthez. Goals: Drogba 78.
Referee: Yuri Baskakov (Russia).
