Albion have their first point in the Europa League after coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Marseille on a night to remember in the Stade Velodrome.
Two goals in 89 seconds midway through the first half by Chancel Mbemba and Jordan Veretout seemed to have put Marseille in control.
But Pascal Gross got a goal back nine minutes after the break and Marseille’s Pau Lopez made some outstanding saves before substitute Joao Pedro coolly equalised with an 88th-minute penalty after Tariq Lamptey was brought down.
It was no more than Albion deserved having dominated the second half. They have a toehold in the group and it was the 2,800 Seagulls fans who were making most of the noise at the end with two games against Ajax to come.
There were five changes to the side beaten by Aston Villa including a return for fit-again Gross while Lamptey, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mo Dahoud and Ansu Fati also came in.
The atmosphere at kick-off would have been unlike anything Albion fans had experienced before as Marseille’s six Ultras groups at either end of the Stade Velodrome created a cacophony of noise and colour.
But Albion weren’t going to change. There was a deafening chorus of boos and whistles every time Jason Steele baited Marseille’s press on the edge of the box and Albion went close in the 12th minute. Solly March led a break from a Marseille corner with a 70-yard run that got us up the pitch. When keeper Pau Lopez’s clearance was intercepted by Kaoru Mitoma he played in Ansu Fati but Jonathan Clauss got across to block his goal-bound volley.
Albion seemed to have settled but they were rocked by two goals in as many minutes. On 18 minutes Clauss got past Mo Dahoud on the right and his pull-back was driven past Steele by an unmarked Mbemba, the former Newcastle defender, from six yards.
Albion hadn’t recovered from that blow when they fell 2-0 behind 89 seconds later. Again, the opportunity was created down the right when Harit’s cross wasn’t cleared by Lewis Dunk and although Steele parried Veretout’s shot it had enough power to find the net.
After the referee had ruled out penalty claims for handball by Veretout, Albion gradually worked their way back into the game. Gross and Fati linked up to set up Welbeck but he snatched at his shot and it sailed over. At the other end Steele’s strong right hand was needed to push Harit’s 25-yarder over but Albion had three chances in as many minutes before the break – and should have taken at least one of them.
First, Dahoud’s ball found Fati, whose clever header back across goal was turned round the post at full stretch by Pau Lopez; Joel Veltman played in Welbeck onside but with Fati unmarked he elected to shoot and Lopez saved with his right boot; then Solly March drove in from the right but couldn’t find the target from about 15 yards.
Albion took the belief that they could hurt Marseille into the second half though and they had one back on 54 minutes. Lamptey burst down the left and found Mitoma and his pull back, as Welbeck distracted his marker, was side-footed decisively past Pau by Gross.
Off the pitch the decibel level was as high as it had been but on it there was a discernible mood shift and van Hecke couldn’t believe it when he met Gross’s corner with a powerful header that was going in until it hit the unsuspecting Mitoma on the forehead.
Albion were committing more men forward and it needed a brilliant block by Dunk to prevent substitute Vitinha from scoring before Gross sent Mitoma surging down the left and his first-time drive brought another fine save out of keeper Lopez. Mitoma almost turned creator with a trademark dribble to the line but Lopez was again equal to the task, repelling substitute Adingra’s efforts to force it in.
Albion kept going and when van Hecke inadvertently diverted Mitoma’s menacing cross wide it looked as if luck was deserting us. But what’s that about fortune favouring the brave? Mitoma found Lamptey surging into the box and his heels were clipped by Clauss.
After a lengthy delay and with the whistles of 60,000 Marseille fans in his ears, Joao Pedro coolly rolled his third penalty in this season’s competition into the bottom corner and Albion had a richly deserved point, which was still being loudly acclaimed in a corner of the stadium by Albion fans long after the final whistle.
Albion: Steele, Veltman, Dunk, van Hecke, Lamptey, Gross, Mahoud (Gilmour 66), March (Adingra 77), Mitoma, Welbeck (Ferguson 77), Fati (Pedro 66).
Subs not used: Verbruggen, Igor Julio, Webster, Baleba, McGill, Buonanotte, Hinshelwood.