Toulouse had to be on their guard defensively early on, with Gabriel Suazo recovering to make a vital challenge on Neal Maupay, who had been found by a lovely pass from Adrien Rabiot.
Les Violets then had a great chance to open the scoring when Shavy Babicka was found in the right-hand channel by Aaron Donnum, but Babicka’s cross was agonisingly overhit.
However, Marseille soon made their dominance of possession tell on 21 minutes as Rabiot played a one-two with Quentin Merlin before his dangerous cross was horribly turned into his own net at the back post by Suazo with Luis Henrique lurking.
With the wind in their sails, Marseille were hoping for a penalty when Mason Greenwood went over, but instead the Englishman was booked for diving, and Toulouse, against the run of play at this point, duly got themselves level as a patient passing move culminated in Suazo making amends by clipping in a cross which was nodded in somewhat scruffily by Frank Magri.
The away side could easily have completed the comeback just after the half-hour mark as the jet-heeled Babicka managed to manufacture a two-on-one, but he opted not to pass and overran the ball.
Marseille themselves could then have got a second as Merlin’s strike stung the palms of Guillaume Restes, with Maupay stooping to head wide on the rebound, before Babicka demonstrated his pace again, but was denied by Rulli, with Geoffrey Kondogbia tidying up for the hosts.
The second half began at a slightly slower pace, but Toulouse continued to look the more threatening of the teams.
However, they were stung by a moment of brilliance from Greenwood, who thundered a shot past Restes from the edge of the box after receiving a pass from the metronomic Ismael Bennacer following a foul by Magri on Valentin Rongier.
That lead was quickly doubled when Rabiot slammed home an exquisite volley from inside the area, and although he did then concede the free-kick that led to Toulouse halving the deficit courtesy of Vincent Sierro’s stabbed finish, Marseille ultimately secured the three points, although Luis Henrique should have made it 4-2 late on.
Greenwood’s last five goals have now all come at the Stade Velodrome, with Marseille’s next match at Monaco next Saturday, with Toulouse, currently 11th in Ligue 1, taking on Lille later that day.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ismael Bennacer (Marseille)
