Gerrard kept his nerve and scored again at the second attempt earning the praise of Pepe Reina.
"The nerve of Steven Gerrard is unbelievable. He showed he can handle the pressure in this situation. It was incredible. That's why he's Stevie," said the Liverpool goalkeeper.
"We knew it would be tough because Marseille are a better side than they were last season. They were difficult to handle between the lines because they have skilful players with pace. They created problems for us but you expect that in Europe.
"It's a great start for us and it gives us the confidence to look forward. We are very happy.
"The positive thing is we have a winning mentality and players who can come in and do a job at the same level as those they are replacing. There is still a lot of room for improvement though and we have to keep working hard day after day."