Everton 1-2 Lyon: Ashley Williams sparks brawl in defeat

If Ronald Koeman is to take any solace from this latest miserable night it is this: Everton’s players are still fighting for him – literally.

After losing to Lyon, Everton’s hopes of reaching the knockout phase of the Europa League are almost in tatters but they did go down swinging, physically and metaphorically.

Everton finished this collision with eight attackers but, in reality, they should have finished with 10 men after captain Ashley Williams pushed Lyon keeper Anthony Lopes over to spark a melee that involved almost every player on the pitch. 

Lyon striker Bertrand Traore sunk Everton with a clever sucker-punch goal 15 minutes from time that stunned Goodison

Nabil Fekir converted an early penalty for Lyon to pile the pressure on Everton in their Europa League Group E clash

Ashley Williams was lucky not to see red for his part in a brawl following a spat with Anthony Lopes that also saw fans involved

Williams scored the equaliser that looked to have got Everton back into the game, heading home Gylfi Sigurdsson’s free-kick

Wayne Rooney sits alongside his son kai and Paul Stretford, his agent, after being left out of the squad against Lyon

If that was unacceptable, the actions of a some imbeciles in the Gwladys Street stand left a horrible taste. Television pictures appeared to show a handful of fans aiming punches at Lyon’s players as they almost toppled over the advertising hoardings.

UEFA, surely, will study the video footage. That will be for another day but, for the moment, the spotlight is on Koeman after more basic errors led to the downfall of his team, after they tried to haul themselves off the canvas.

The goals that left them flattened were scored either side of half-time by Nabil Fekir and Bertrand Traore but Koeman will hope that the spirit they showed in the second period will spark a revival in the Premier League.

Mason Holgate clumsily felled Fernando Marcal in the Everton box to concede the spot kick after just five minutes

Holgate’s silly foul could not have been more obvious and referee Bas Nijhuis had no hesitation in pointing to the spot

Cuco Martina cannot hide his frustration as Everton find themselves under the cosh early on against their French visitors

October 19 has its own special place in Goodison history as in was on this day, in 2002, that Wayne Rooney announced himself to the wider world with a superlative goal against Arsenal that has been replayed countless times since.

Rooney had posted about it on social media in the build-up to kick-off but there was no opportunity for him to do a reenactment as Koeman took the decision this was an opportune moment to give him a break.

The man who needed a break more than anyone, though, was the manager. He has increasingly looked to be feeling the strain of this dreadful run and the one thing he needed was Everton to give themselves a platform by getting off to a solid start.

But for all that Goodison’s storied lights were on, it felt like nobody was at home. The stadium was nowhere near capacity and those who had turned up – including Manchester City Director of Football Txiki Begiristain and Mikel Arteta, their first team coach – deigned to see what would to be served up before rousing themselves. 

Fekir was tasked with the spot kick and beat Jordan Pickford with a low effort into the bottom right-hand corner

The French international forward takes the congratulations of his Lyon team-mates after giving his side the lead at Everton

Midfielder Davy Klaassen was one of five changes to the Everton starting XI but was hauled off at half time

Youngster Dominic Calvert-Lewin finds himself crowded out by four Lyon defenders as he looked to get his side back into it

To Koeman’s dismay, however, Everton conceded the first goal once again. It was the tenth time in 11 matches they have done that, a statistic that should have alarm bells clanging in the Dutchman’s mind. It marks them out as being passive and weak.

This goal was wholly avoidable but referee Bas Nijhuis had no option but to award a penalty after Mason Holgate careered into Lyon left-back Marcal and Nabil Fekir compounded the error, drilling his spot kick past Jordan Pickford.

Only five minutes had been played but, already, you knew it was going to be a long night. Koeman, standing on the touchline getting drenched by the pouring rain, looked bedraggled and the fear was Everton would follow suit.

In fairness, Everton tried to scrap. Tom Davies, for one, refused to accept the situation; Nikola Vlasic persisted in showing for the ball, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin did his best to make the most of the limited service he received. 

On the touchline under-pressure boss Ronald Koeman cut a frustrated figure as his side fell behind early in the game

Fekir is fouled by a sliding Morgan Schneiderlin, from the resulting free-kick Memphis Depay’s deflected effort hit the bar

Everton did come back into the game as the half wore on, Kevin Mirallas had a big chance to score but his effort was blocked

Depay had a huge chance to double the Lyon lead when he got in behind the Everton defence but wasted the one-on-one

The former Manchester United flop knew how big an opportunity it was after seeing Pickford make a crucial save

There are, however, too many of this squad who form is wretched, not least Davy Klaassen. It would be grossly unfair to pin Everton’s troubles on him but, after arriving for £25million from Ajax, he has done nothing to say he is an upgrade on Ross Barkley.

He, ironically, came as close as anyone to getting Everton an equaliser – a 20 yard shot in the 40th minute had Lyon keeper Anthony Lopes plunging to his left to take decisive action – but they were always susceptible to being hit on the counterattack.

Lyon, really, should have been out of sight before the interval and Memphis Depay – the forward who Koeman wanted to sign from Manchester United in January – should have put the game out of their reach in the 42nd minute. 

Everton started the second half in bright fashion, here Calvert-Lewin as Lopes punches away Holgate’s excellent cross

Ademola Lookman came on in at half time and immediately caused Lyon problems, forcing a smart stop from Lopes

The moment of controversy in the second half came after Williams shoved Lyon keeper Lopes, sending him into the hoardings

What followed saw Williams at the centre of an ugly ruck behind the goal involving most of the players on the pitch

The Lyon players swarmed in to defend their keeper as the red mist descended on Williams behind the goal

After swapping passes with Myziane Maolida, Depay found himself clean through but his shot lacked the strength or conviction to trouble Pickford; Depay also saw a free-kick cannon against the bar via the head of Davies

This could not continue and Koeman knew it. Once again he made a half-time substitution – this was eighth time in 16 games he has done so, which infers he keeps picking the wrong team – and Ademola Lookman replaced the floundering Klaassen.

There was an initial lift, with the Gwaldys Street responding to the introduction of a well-regarded youngster, and, for a brief spell, the ball pinged around Lyon’s area, with one cross from Holgate zipping across the face of goal.

It was not, though, considered pressure and Lyon, whose central defenders Marcelo and Mouctar stood like sentries, to keep Everton at bay but they could do nothing when Williams rose to power in a free-kick.

As searched for a winner, the melee erupted and it caused a loss of concentration. Traore, who was also booked, took full advantage in the 75th minute when he back heeled a cross past Pickford from six yards.

Minutes later Williams made a more positive impact, powerfully heading home a set-piece to draw his side level

Traore was to have the last laugh when his clever flick put the French visitors back in front with 15 minutes left in game

The Everton players look broken as the visitors celebrate going back in front late into the Europa League contest 

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