Yet it could have been so different after Newcastle initially handled a white-hot atmosphere so well by gaining the upper hand.
The noise levels were certainly deafening before kick-off – even referee Maurizio Mariani and the officials were loudly whistled when they emerged for the warm-up.
Flares were let off, ticker tape flickered in the air and a stunning tifo rose from the terraces with an accompanying banner reading “For my town, for my club”.
But Newcastle were ready for it.
They had travelled early, trained at the Velodrome on Monday evening and looked to prepare slightly differently on game day, “to keep the players mentally engaged and ready for this game” in Howe’s own words.
That preparation looked to have paid off against a side second in Ligue 1.
Rather than being cowed by the crowd, Newcastle made an aggressive start.
They got their reward when Harvey Barnes – fresh from his match-winning double against Manchester City on Sunday – fired his side in front in the sixth minute.
But, crucially, Newcastle failed to press home their advantage and Marseille rallied.
The visitors had enough warnings after Aubameyang spurned a series of opportunities in the first half.
However, the much-travelled Marseille forward was not so forgiving after the break, as Newcastle paid a heavy price for a sloppy kick-off.
Defender Fabian Schar punted the ball forward and his side failed to get it back under control after losing a series of duels deep in the opposition half.
It was far too easy for Timothy Weah to take a number of players out of the game with a pass to Darryl Bakola and the 17-year-old played a through-ball into the right-hand channel behind Newcastle’s defence.
A Marseille equaliser was not exactly a foregone conclusion given how far away Aubameyang was from goal.
But keeper Nick Pope rushed off his line in an attempt to get there ahead of Aubameyang, only to be caught in no man’s land as the forward nipped in and finished superbly from a tight angle out on the right wing.
Howe was keen to stress he “backed” Pope after the game, despite the poor decision, pointing to how the goalkeeper made “some really good saves against Manchester City just three days ago”.
But this was a night where his side’s vulnerabilities at the back, and on the road, reared their head again.
