Florian Thauvin marked his second debut for Marseille with a red card - but Michel's side still managed to record a 1-0 win away at Montpellier.
Georges N'Koudou grabbed the only goal of the game after 68 minutes, though the visitors were forced to cling on to their lead with 10 men on the field.
Having come on as a second-half substitute, Thauvin was dismissed 10 minutes after his introduction for a lunging tackle near the byline.
The 23-year-old - who returned to his former club in the transfer window on loan from Newcastle United - was sent off just a minute after the visitors had taken the lead.
In Tuesday's other top-flight fixture, Monaco bounced back from Saturday's 3-0 loss at Angers with a 2-0 home triumph over Bastia.
An own goal from Bastia's Francois Modesto after 35 minutes put the hosts in front at Stade Louis II.
Bernardo Silva's 73rd-minute effort sealed the points for Monaco, who have temporarily closed the gap to runaway league leaders Paris Saint-Germain – who play Lorient on Wednesday – to 21 points.
