Roberto De Zerbi suggested his nationality was a major factor in how much criticism his Marseille team have received following their eye-catching 3-1 win over Lens.

Lens missed the chance to move back above Paris Saint-Germain at the top of Ligue 1 as they fell to a 3-1 defeat at the Stade Velodrome, ending their run of 10 straight victories. 

That winning streak was the longest in their history in all competitions, but they fell 2-0 down within 13 minutes, with Amine Gouiri and Ethan Nwaneri scoring.

Nwaneri, who arrived on loan from Arsenal earlier this week, became Marseille's 19th goalscorer this season in all competitions, the joint-most among all teams in Europe's top five leagues alongside PSG, Eintracht Frankfurt and Chelsea. 

Marseille have now scored 44 goals in Ligue 1 this season. That is their best tally after 19 games of a top-flight campaign since 1970-71 (also 44), while their +24 goal difference is the third-best they have ever reached by this stage, after 1948-49 (+27) and 1970-71 (+25).

They are third in Ligue 1 and on course to reach the Champions League knockout-round play-offs, and De Zerbi feels the criticism they receive from the French media is often unfair.

"I've become attached to Marseille because it's a special city. We can be criticised. Many write in good faith, but some write in bad faith," the Italian said.

"And for some, my passport changes a lot of things. Some think they're the bosses. I only have one boss, and that's [owner] Frank McCourt.

"It's fair for you [the media] to write what you want, and it's fair for me to respond how I want, too.

"It's still a long way to go. We have to play every game this way. If we don't play like this all the time, the criticism will be deserved."

The expected goals battle was almost even, with Marseille managing 1.0 xG from 10 shots and Lens tallying 1.01 xG from seven attempts.

But Marseille's quick start set the tone, with Gouiri later getting his brace before Rayan Fofana pulled one back for Lens. It was the quickest they had gone 2-0 up in a Ligue 1 match since December 2023 (nine minutes against Lorient, winning 4-2).

"We won against a very strong team. They deserve to be ahead of us in the table. They have strong players who run a lot," De Zerbi said.

"But we could have won by a bigger margin. The new signings have settled in well."

Looking forward to Wednesday's Champions League matchup with Club Brugge, De Zerbi added: "Now, we're preparing for Wednesday's match to try and take OM where it hasn't been in the last 15 years."