Lyon boss Hubert Fournier refused to use a lengthy break in play at the Stade Velodrome as an excuse after his team surrendered two points to Marseille.
Alexandre Lacazette's first-half penalty put Les Gones in the ascendancy and their chances of riding out a victory improved when OM winger Romain Alessandrini was dismissed for his rash challenge on former Marseille midfielder Mathieu Valbuena shortly before the break.
But referee Ruddy Buquet was forced to order both sets of players down the tunnel shortly after the hour mark as missiles began to rain down from a section of the home crowd and, after 20 minutes of respite in the changing rooms, Lyon returned to the pitch only to be pegged back by a header from Karim Rekik.
The 1-1 draw means Lyon have registered only two wins from their six Ligue 1 games so far and while Fournier admitted his frustration over the number of points already forfeited, he believes he has seen encouraging signs of improvement from his players.
He told a post-match press conference : "We are disappointed because we had the means to win this game. We played really well in the first half.
"There's definitely a sense of disappointment when it comes to the number of points we've wasted, but the team are progressing."
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas added: "We allowed Marseille to equalise against the run of play. We have to piece back together the Olympique Lyonnais that used to give us so much pleasure."
Heading into the south-coast encounter Lacazette was still seeking his first goal of the season and got an opportunity to notch it from the penalty spot when Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda brought him down.
But he later saw the effect of his strike cancelled out by former Manchester City defender Rekik, who headed home from a corner with 20 minutes remaining.
The France international said: "Football is all about the fine details. In this case, a penalty and a corner. We have to keep working."
Marseille head coach Michel hailed the "beautiful reaction" his players demonstrated after they lost their influential team-mate Alessandrini to a red card.
"They showed great character," he said. "The first half was really bad for us, but they came out for the second half looking like a completely different team."
Source: PA
