On-loan Monaco winger Lucas Ocampos scored a goal on his Marseille debut to help his new side come from behind to draw 1-1 with Rennes.
Title-chasing Marseille could not find a winner, though, and ended up having to hold on for a point after seeing midfielder Mario Lemina sent off in the 83rd minute.
The result leaves Marseille a point behind leaders Lyon, who host reigning champions Paris St Germain on Sunday, while Rennes remain in mid-table after seeing their winless run stretch to five matches in the league.
An early chance went the hosts' way after Pedro Henrique combined well with Toivonen but the Brazilian could only fire over from the edge of the area.
Marseille arrived in Brittany having not won away from the Stade Velodrome since October and it showed as Rennes continued to dominate the early proceedings, with Steve Mandanda needing two attempts to keep out a decent Toivonen effort after 20 minutes.
Then, shortly after, Philippe Montanier's out-of-form team scored the goal their early efforts deserved.
Vincent Pajot was the creator and his neat cut-back was controlled on the chest by Toivonen before the former PSV striker dispatched a clinical effort into the bottom corner.
Against his former employers, Romain Alessandrini saw a rare shot at goal for the visitors fly over the bar before Rennes had two decent penalty calls turned down as half-time approached when Jeremy Morel and Gianelli Imbula appeared to handle in the area.
In an effort to breathe new life into his side, Marseille boss Marcelo Bielsa threw on Ocampos at the break, following his arrival from Monaco this week, and that move paid off on the hour mark.
Pajot turned from hero to zero when he allowed Ocampos to escape his attentions from Dimitri Payet's corner and the new boy did the rest with a clinical volley to level matters.
That goal proved to be a shot in the arm of l'OM and Imbula went close to a second after the Rennes defence backed off but his 20-yard effort was straight down the throat of Benoit Costil in the home goal.
Marseille duo Andre-Pierre Gignac and Florian Thauvin went close to fashioning another goalscoring opportunity on the counter, only to be denied by defender Fallou Diagne.
Hopes of a complete turnaround for l'OM were dashed, though, with seven minutes left when Lemina inexplicably punched Toivonen before seeing red and Bielsa's team were left to see out the closing stages with one less man.