Liverpool’s lead was short-lived though. Nicklas Schmidt’s excellent pass fed Aron Dönnum, who showed great vision to beat the offside trap and release the untracked Thijs Dallinga who emphatically fired home in front of the Kop. Both Liverpool full-backs, as well as Caoimhin Kelleher, really should have done better. Les Violets grew in confidence and boldly went toe-to-toe with the Reds. Toulouse’s off-the-ball work to screen Liverpool’s passing lanes was remarkable, and we had an open game on our hands.

Toulouse came undone in four minutes

Toulouse were however powerless to prevent Trent Alexander-Arnold from pinging a trademark inch-perfect cross for the unlikely Wataru Endo to loop in a precise header in Restes’ bottom corner at the half-hour mark. The hosts’ ruthlessness were too much to handle for Toulouse. Four minutes later, Liverpool got themselves a third goal following a mazy run from Ryan Gravenberch with the ball rebounding off Curtis Jones’ arm and into the path of Nunez, who rifled past under Restes’ crossbar.

Only minutes in the second half, Toulouse were offered a way back in the game following a blunder from Kelleher. Suazo had the goal at his mercy, but he scuttled a shot straight at the onrushing Alexander-Arnold. The Reds were guilty of complacency, showing little intent to put the game to bed for good. Dönnum’s casual back-pass was instantly punished with Nunez running rampant and finding Restes’ post. The excellent Gravenberch was on hand to score the rebound.

Toulouse’s chance to create the upset had passed, and the gap in class between the sides was evident for all to see when Klopp allowed himself to sub on Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian put the icing on the cake with a clinical finish in injury time. Despite a spirited first half-hour, Les Violets were comprehensively beaten at Anfield. They will host Liverpool at the Stadium Municipal in a fortnight. The evening brought more bad news for Toulouse, they are no longer second in Group E following Union Saint-Gilloise’s late 2-1 win against LASK.

Toulouse players ratings

Guillaume Restes, 5 – There’s little he could have done to prevent the first three Liverpool goals. Still, the 18-year-old appeared unfazed on the big stage, showing good anticipation and making a strong stop to deny Gravenberch in the first half and Nunez in the second half.

Gabriel Suazo, 3 – The Chilean had an evening to forget. Despite his experience, he appeared jittery, lost too many easy balls and gave Alexander-Arnold too much freedom. The way he fumbled an open goal, and failed to halve Toulouse’s deficit, is borderline unforgivable.

Logan Costa, 4

Moussa Diarra, 4

Rasmus Nicolaisen, 5

Mikkel Desler, 5

Cristian Casseres, 5

Vincent Sierro, 4

Niklas Schmidt, 5

Aron Dönnum, 4

Thijs Dallinga, 6 – He only needed one clear goal-scoring opportunity to get off the mark, and that’s what good strikers do. Showed great pace and anticipation to perfectly time his run before overpowering Kelleher for the equalizer. Had too little on his plate though, and was well-handled by Gomez and Matip. Should have been credited with an assist if not for Suazo’s awful miss. 

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

Toulouse are yet to be beaten in European competition. Le TéFéCé have one win and one draw in Group E and are just two points behind leaders Liverpool going into Thursday’s match at Anfield. Martínez Novell’s side have been solid thus far in Ligue 1, and could yet better their 13th-place finish from last season. They currently sit 10th and have drawn five of their nine top-flight matches in France’s top flight, including their last two.

Whilst there is no doubt that Toulouse head into the match against Liverpool, Martínez Novell has said that he is looking to be positive. “We are preparing this match to beat them. Of course, it’s possible,” said the Spaniard, who did nonetheless address the uncertainties surrounding their opponents set-up with Liverpool often rotating in European competition so far this season. 

Klopp also struck a wary tone in his pre-match press conference, saying that Toulouse are a side that “deserve respect.” 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Terrier’s route back has been long. He has featured for Les Rennais in Ligue 1, coming off the bench late on and then missing a crucial penalty, but he has not yet started for Bruno Genesio’s side since the injury. That will change against Panathinaikos. Genesio has a wealth of attacking options at his disposal and it is Bertug Yildrim who looks like getting the nod up front. Terrier, Ludovic Blas and Benjamin Bourigeaud will play just behind the Turkish forward with Genesio deploying a 4-2-3-1. Arnaud Kalimuendo drops to the bench.

Rennes likely lineup v Panathinaikos

Steve Mandanda; Adrien Truffert, Arthur Theate, Warmed Omari, Lorenz Assignon; Nemanja Matic, Baptiste Santamaria; Martin Terrier, Ludovic Blas, Benjamin Bourigeaud; Bertug Yildrim. (L’Éq)

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Injury and suspension have limited Kondogbia to just five Ligue 1 appearances so far this season, however, his return will be welcomed by Gennaro Gattuso, who is likely to deploy a midfield three. Jordan Veretout and Valentin Rongier are set to start alongside the former Atletico Madrid midfielder. 

Pau Lopez is the major absentee. He reportedly suffered an injury prior to last weekend’s defeat against OGC Nice, and he didn’t manage the full 90 against Francesco Farioli’s side. Joaquín Correa and Samuel Gigot are not yet fit to return to the matchday squad either. 

Marseille likely lineup v AEK Athens

Ruben Blanco; Ronan Lodi, Leonardo Balerdi, Chancel Mbemba, Jonathan Clauss; Jordan Veretout, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Valentin Rongier; Iliman Ndiaye, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Amine Harit. (L’Éq)

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

The Ligue 1 side have officially announced this Friday that Les Violets’ home will be sold out when Jürgen Klopp’s Reds come to town on Thursday, November 9 at 6:45pm local time. Toulouse FC, who owed their qualification to the competition thanks to their 2023 Coupe de France win, have revealed that all the 31,000 tickets on sale have found a buyer.

Before hosting Liverpool, Carlos Martinez Novell’s team will play the Premier League side on their home Anfield turf. France Bleu understands that nearly 2,000 Toulouse fans will make the trip to Merseyside on Thursday, October 26. Liverpool currently top Group E after winning at LASK (3-1) and at home against Union Saint-Gilloise (2-0). Toulouse are second after drawing away in Belgium (1-1) and winning at home against the Austrian side (1-0).

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

Stade Rennais played Villarreal away at La Ceramica for the second matchday of the Europa League’s Group F. Bruno Genesio’s team were handed their first defeat of the season with Sweden international Alexander Sorloth scoring the only goal of the game. Martin Terrier missed a penalty in injury time for his return.

Before the game, video footage emerged on social media showing several incidents involving Rennes supporters and Spanish police forces. The Ligue 1 side did not let this slide and mentioned they had gathered numerous testimonies as well as findings from the security teams on scene. Several Rennes-based reporters who covered the game added that police forces intentionally created a climate of tension. “Stade Rennais FC express outrage regarding the handling of their supporters before and during the game between Stade Rennais and Villarreal CF“, the statement reads.

It was reported that nearly 1,000 Rennes fans traveled to Spain to watch their favorite team. Unfortunately, the Spanish police forces seem to have ruined the party for too many of them, mostly during the Rennes fans’ gathering near La Ceramica. “The atmosphere was particularly festive and good-natured, without any form of aggression. Despite this, from 6:30 pm to 9:45 pm, the Rouge et Noir community was confronted with brutal and intimidating behavior from certain police forces.”

Rennes will host Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday evening.

On the back of a comprehensive home win against Maccabi Haïfa, Rennes traveled to Villarreal’s La Ceramica to further cement their credentials to extend their Europa League journey onto the knockout stages. Given the 2022 Champions League semi-finalists lost their opening-day game against Panathinaikos, the La Liga side flew out of the traps, enjoying the most possession. Alexander Sørloth steered clear of the visitors’ defense to aim a shot deftly parried by Steve Mandanda.

Villarreal eventually broke the deadlock through the Sweden international, whose powerful left-footed effort found Mandanda’s net. The experienced goalkeeper could hardly have prevented it – the same can’t be said for Adrien Truffert and Arthur Theate. A deserved lead for the 2021 Europa League winners, given Rennes’ inability to disrupt a cunning and proactive Villarreal side.

Les Rouge et Noir returned to the pitch with renewed energy and better ambitions, forcing Villarreal to commit fouls and setting camp in the hosts’ half of the pitch. The momentum switched with Stade Rennais knocking on the door around Pepe Reina’s penalty box whilst Villarreal relied on counter-attacking. Rennes thought they had a penalty when Reina collided with Arnaud Kalimuendo in the box, but the referee overturned his decision after he realized on the monitor that the France U21 striker had skied his shot before.

For the final ten minutes, Bruno Genesio handed talismanic Rennes striker Martin Terrier a competitive return, nine months after a season-ending knee and meniscus injury. Following a lengthy VAR check, Rennes were handed the opportunity to restore parity in injury time. Terrier stepped up, but he shot it straight at Reina and could not score the rebound. Rennes’ chance had passed. Despite a convincing second half and the substitutes’ contributions, Rennes were defeated for the first time this season. Les Rouge et Noir will host Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday.

Rennes players ratings

Steve Mandanda, 5

Guéla Doué, 5

Warmed Omari, 5

Arthur Theate, 4

Adrien Truffert, 3 – The France international left-back appeared nervous and struggled to make an impact in Villarreal’s half of the pitch. He also accidentally perfectly laid up Sørloth’s opener with a misplaced header.

Baptiste Santamaria, 5

Benjamin Bourigeaud, 4 – In the absence of Matic, he dropped back deeper than usual to set his teammates up going forward. Despite a tireless shift, his decision-making was disappointing and he lost too many balls (18) as a consequence. Far from his best game with the Bretons.

Désiré Doué, 5

Ludovic Blas, 5 – A menace on his right flank. The former FC Nantes man’s dribbling was too hot to handle for former Liverpool left-back Alberto Moreno. Given his shooting ability, he really should have taken more risks against 41-year-old Pepe Reina. He obtained the late Rennes penalty, in vain, unfortunately.

Bertug Yildirim, 3 – The tall Turkish centre-forward only won one duel out of four and failed to create a single clear goal-scoring opportunity. He was the first Rennes man to come off at the hour mark, replaced by Arnaud Kalimuendo.

Ibrahim Salah, 4

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

Marseille scored twice in two minutes in the first half, however, they couldn’t hang onto their lead. Second-half goals from Pascal Gross and João Pedro salvaged a point for Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton. 

In a press conference, attended by Get French Football News, Gattuso explained that he believes his side aren’t at the right physical level to put in a full 90-minute performance, and believes that his predecessor’s style of play is a reason for that.

“We need to run for 90 minutes. We could see that until the 65th minute before the changes, we ran in a different way, we pressed in a different way as well.  What we did wasn’t what we prepared, we lost ourselves a bit. We always need to be very attentive. I don’t think the draw was due to the substitutes, but if you don’t press Brighton well, and don’t do the good things, they can punish you. I respect Marcelino and his staff, but he had a different style of play and I think that the players have 60 or 65 minutes in their legs to play a high-pressing game,” said Gattuso.

He added, “I thank my team for their effort. My players are learning something new, it’s new and it won’t take just one week. There is a margin for progression, but we’re improving. The spirit is good. The performance was there tonight, even if it wasn’t enough.”

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

In a post-match press conference, attended by Get French Football News, De Zerbi saluted his side’s mentality to get back into the game but acknowledged the need to improve.

How do you analyse that performance from your team?

I want to be honest. I don’t think we’re playing well. We aren’t playing like last year, or even like last month. We are in a difficult moment. It is a period in which we have to work. After that, in football, it’s important the quality of the play,  and of the players, but it is also important to play with passion and with the right behaviour. I am really, really proud of the performance today. After the 6-1 defeat against Aston Villa, and the second Marseille goal, this reaction is incredible. I’m very happy. We didn’t deserve to lose the game. I think if we score at the end of the first half, I think we could win the game. I’m sorry about the result because I think we deserved more. 

Did the atmosphere in the Vélodrome play a role in Brighton’s slow start?

We are not a big team yet. We are a small team, a small club. We reached European competition by playing very well, playing with the incredible qualities of the players, but it’s possible we suffered too much from the atmosphere in Brighton’s first match in Europe. I’m not a big coach; I’m not used to playing these big games either, I’ve only played once in Europe with Shakhtar (Donetsk). We have to adapt and get used to playing in this competition. 

Does the comeback evidence the team’s strong mentality, and what does that mean going forward?

I think we can lose games, but we can’t lose our DNA, our spirit, our bravery, our passion. This season, it will be important to progress, to adapt to playing in a different competition, to playing three games a week. I think this result can help us in our season because we have enough quality to play in this competition. Perhaps we need to have more confidence in ourselves because we have the right level. Today we played at no more than 30% of our potential, but the result was good. We can play better, we need to play better and believe in ourselves.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Olympique de Marseille let a two-goal lead slip against Brighton & Hove Albion, as João Pedro’s late penalty salvaged a point for the visitors, their first of the UEFA Europa League campaign. 

Brighton had plenty of possession in the opening stages, but couldn’t build through the thirds. The ball therefore circulated around the defence, which Marseille were happy to allow. With what little they had of the ball, OM were effective, creating dangerous situations and two notable chances, both of which were finished with aplomb. 

Chancel Mbemba finished the first (19′), latching onto Jonathan Clauss’ ball across the box, and just seconds later, Jordan Veretout finished the second (20′). This time it was the lively Amine Harit with the assist. Brighton were almost handed an immediate route back into the tie when the referee was sent to the monitor for a Valentin Rongier handball within the Marseille box. Whilst a penalty had seemingly been signalled, the referee’s original decision of no penalty was upheld. 

As the half wore on, Brighton grew into the game and began to create chances. One fell to Ansu Fati, but his header was well saved by Pau Lopez. The Spaniard was called upon again before the end of the half. Danny Welbeck was played through 1-v-1 and had Fati with him. He didn’t elect to use the Barcelona loanee, instead shooting straight at Lopez. 

However, there was reason for optimism for Brighton going into half-time, and early in the second half, the deficit was halved. Following a neat interchange involving Tariq Lamptey and Kaoru Mitoma, the latter crossed for Pascal Gross, who was completely marked and kept his composure to finish past Lopez. 

Brighton then pushed for the equaliser, and Mitoma, who had been shackled in the first half, was released down the left on multiple occasions, forcing an important save from Lopez on one occasion. Simon Adingra then went close again for Brighton, but Lopez kept them afloat. 

However, Brighton would get their goal. Clauss’ clumsy challenge on Lamptey in the box saw Mykola Balakin point to the spot. João Pedro stepped up, sending López the wrong way, and salvaging the draw. Marseille have now drawn the first two games of their Europa League campaign, whilst Brighton salvaged their first point.  

Marseille player ratings

Pau López – 8 – made two crucial interventions in the first half, saving from Fati and then Welbeck. With Marseille’s lead reduced to just one goal, he then made crucial saves from Mitoma and Adingra. He also created a big chance for Vitinha in the second half with a perfect piercing long ball. He is often cited as a weak point in this Marseille team, but not tonight. 

Michael Murillo – 5

Leonardo Balerdi – 6

Chancel Mbemba – 7

Jonathan Clauss – 4 – as always, very active down the left. His performance showed both why he has earned a France recall, and why he was dropped in the first place. Whilst enthusiastic defensively, he is susceptible to lapses in concentration, and Brighton’s first came from down his wing. He also got turned inside out by Mitoma at one point in the second half – an error that went unpunished. However, the offensive upside is clear to see, and Marseille had plenty of join down the right, particularly in the first half. 

Joaquin Correa – 5

Valentin Rongier – 5

Jordan Veretout – 6

Amine Harit – 7

Iliman Ndiaye – 5

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 3 – another anonymous performance from the former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona forward. He had been more impressive in European competition thus far this season, however, this performance more mirrored his Ligue 1 form. His inactivity and lack of influence were only further highlighted by an energetic cameo from his replacement, Vitinha. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle