Nicolas Pepe had his Nice debut well and truly ruined after completing a loan switch to the Ligue 1 outfit from Arsenal this week.
The Ivorian winger was given his first chance to impress on Sunday afternoon having been announced as a Nice player earlier this week. He was also coming up against a number of familiar faces with both sides having a number of former Gunners in their ranks.
Pepe started for his new side, whilst Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey was introduced from the bench during the second period having joined the French club from Juventus earlier this summer.
Meanwhile, Marseille boasted a vast array of former Arsenal stars - Matteo Guendouzi, Sead Kolasinac, Nuno Tavares and Alexis Sanchez all being selected to start for the visitors.
Two of those aforementioned names played a key role in victory for Marseille. Chilean forward Sanchez was making his third appearance of the season since arriving from Inter Milan and found the net after just nine minutes as he thundered home the opener.
Portuguese left-back Tavares then continued his excellent scoring run as he doubled the lead from the edge of the penalty area - his third goal of the season since joining the club on a season-long loan.
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Sanchez then doubled his afternoon’s work as Tavares saw his shot parried by former Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel with the former Barcelona star reacting first to make it 3-0. The scoreline remained the same until the final whistle with victory moving Marseille to the top of the Ligue 1 standings ahead of Paris Saint-Germain’s Le Classique showdown with AS Monaco.
Whilst there were a number of former Arsenal stars on the pitch for both sides, the Premier League links did not end there. Former West Ham United playmaker Dimitri Payet was also in action for Marseille, with ex-Aston Villa and Newcastle stars Jordan Veretout and Chancel Mbemba also took to the pitch for the visitors.
There was still enough time for a number of other players to be afforded an outing - former Man Utd man Eric Bailly made his debut as a substitute, whilst ex-Leicester loanee Cengiz Under was also introduced from the bench.
It goes without saying that Pepe will certainly be hoping for better in his next appearance as a Nice player. Lucien Favre’s men next do battle with his former club Lille in midweek.
Asked about why he decided to move to Nice, the Gunners’ record signing said: “Because of the sporting project which is very ambitious with young players.
“I don't see it as a step backwards. It's also to get back to enjoying myself, with the trust of the coach and the president. Lucien Favre has a reputation for playing beautiful football, which suits me, so that was a factor in my choice.”
