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Everton logo
Europa League | Group Stage
Oct 19, 2017 at 8.05pm UK
 
Lyon

1-2

Williams (69')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Fekir (6' pen.), Traore (75')

Live Commentary: Everton 1-2 Lyon - as it happened

Relive Sports Mole's live text coverage of Everton's Europa League meeting with French side Lyon.
2

Everton have slumped to a 2-1 defeat at home to Lyon in the Europa League.

The Blues got off to the worst possible start, with Mason Holgate giving away a penalty in the fifth minute, allowing Nabil Fekir to convert from the spot.

Ronald Koeman's side were briefly level thanks to an Ashley Williams header in the second period, but Lyon had the final say through former Chelsea forward Bertrand Traore.

Find out how the action unfolded with Sports Mole's text commentary below.


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Hello and welcome to our live text coverage of the Europa League clash between Everton and Lyon at Goodison Park. The Blues are looking for a positive result tonight to kickstart their European campaign and relieve some of that pressure on manager Ronald Koeman. Team news on the way...

EVERTON XI: Pickford; Holgate, Keane, Williams, Martina; Davies, Schneiderlin; Vlasic, Klaassen, Calvert-Lewin; Mirallas

LYON XI: Lopes; Marcal, Diakhaby, Marcelo, Tete; Aouar, Tousart, Depay, Fekir, Traore; Maolida

Here's the Blues' formation and subs...



An interesting team selection from Koeman, who has dropped key players including Gylfi Sigurdsson, Wayne Rooney, Leighton Baines and Idrissa Gueye. Kevin Mirallas is given a rare chance to shine in a wide position up front and summer signing Davy Klaassen also gets the nod.

Koeman has laid out a more mobile midfield. Rather than sending out two holding players, the Dutchman has youngster Tom Davies on box-to-box duty and Klaassen there to provide some extra flair and creativity. Morgan Schneiderlin will provide support for the defence.

Goals have been the biggest problem for the Toffees this season, and I don't just mean the amount they are shipping. Their failure to replace Romelu Lukaku over the summer continues to show, but Koeman has named a three-man attack in an attempt to remedy that tonight. The pacey Dominic Calvert-Lewin leads the line with support from Mirallas and Vlasic.

Over to Lyon, and they welcome back central defender Marcelo, who was suspended for last week's Ligue 1 clash with Monaco, while Kenny Tete earns a recall at right-back. There will be some familiar faces in the visitors' XI, with former Manchester United man Memphis Depay lining up on the wing and ex-Chelsea forward Bertrand Traore leading their attack.

The away side are not at full strength this evening. They are missing no fewer than five first-team regulars, including star striker Mariano Diaz, who has banged in seven goals in 11 games since joining the club from Real Madrid.

Everton are in dire need of a win tonight, not just to kickstart their Europa League campaign, but to alleviate some of the pressure on Koeman. He spent big over the summer and has just eight points from as many games to show for that in the Premier League, and only one of the board in the Europa League.

Everton manager Ronald Koeman watches on during his side's Europa League clash with Apollon Limassol at Goodison Park on September 28, 2017© SilverHub


Their last match in this competition was a disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Cypriot side Apollon Limassol, and they took a pasting in Atalanta in their opening game. That leaves them bottom of Group E heading into this match, but a win tonight would change everything.

Like Everton, Lyon have started their Europa campaign slowly. They drew also drew with the Cypriots, before holding group leaders Atalanta in their second fixture. That leaves them with two points from as many games, sitting in second position. On the domestic front, they have been in fairly solid form and occupy sixth place in Ligue 1.

This is going to be a tough test for Everton, purely because they are low on confidence right now and really struggle to score goals. Lyon may be injury ravaged, but they face a side who are really struggling at the moment and have looked all at sea throughout matches.

PREDICTION: I can't see Everton winning this tonight. Granted, Lyon's injury woes will work in their favour, but this Toffees side is low on confidence, low on goals and low on everything, for that matter. There have been no signs of Koeman turning things around yet, but I do believe they will nick a point tonight in a 1-1 draw.

The two sides are heading out onto the pitch now. Will Everton's season pick up tonight, or will the French side dump more misery on Koeman and his faltering charges? Stay tuned to find out...

KICK OFF! Lyon get the match underway, kicking from right to left in the first half.

There's almost an opening for Memphis Depay as a slip from Mason Holgate allows the Dutchman to race away, but the referee blows for a foul on the Everton defender and the move breaks down. Both sides have strung a few passes together and Everton are playing quite wide.

PENALTY TO LYON! Mason Holgate goes in late on Fernando Marcal inside the area and the ref rightly points to the spot!

GOAL! Everton 0-1 Lyon (Nabil Fekir, pen)

Nabil Fekir steps up and rifles his penalty low into the bottom corner, beyond the reach of Jordan Pickford. Everton can have no complaints about the referee's decision to award a pen as Holgate was late with his challenge. When you are down on your luck, these things happen, and now the Blues have their work cut out getting back into this one.

Lyon are playing a fast, counter-attacking football and they have just cut the Everton defence to two with a through-ball. Memphis Depay gets on the end of it and makes it into the area. Pickford is off his line, but a crunching challenge from Ashley Williams quashes the threat. Good defending.

Everton haven't settled into this game at all. Maybe the early penalty has left them rattled, but they look shaky at the back, nervous when it comes to making challenges and fearful when Lyon are surging forward. The French club, on the other hand, have played a slick passing game and have real pace among their ranks.

Half-chance for Everton as Vlasic blazes a volley over the bar from the edge of the box. Kevin Mirallas played a long ball into the box from a free kick and Michael Keane nodded it on towards the Croation, whose shot was nowhere near the target. That sums up Everton going forward this season.

SHOT! Everton's best move of the match comes when Tom Davies deflects a throw-in into the path of Kevin Mirallas. The Belgian uses his pace to swivel away from his marker and shoots from the edge of the box, but his effort whizzes past Anthony Lopes's right post.

Lyon have just enjoyed an incredibly lengthy spell of possession. I lost count of the number of passes they strung together before Kenny Tete collected the ball on the overlap, wide on the right, and plays a cross into the centre of the Everton box. Jordan Pickford comes off his line and fumbles the ball at the first time of asking, but quickly recovers.

There's another half-chance for Everton as Morgan Schneiderlin arrives in the final third unmarked and lets fly with his right peg, shooting through a crowd. The Lyon goalkeeper has a poor view of it, but it bobbles wide by a good few inches.

The visitors have the chance to put more pressure on Everton from a free kick just outside the box. Former Chelsea man Bertrand Traore take it and play it long, but he puts too much height on it and it goes out for a goalkick. At the other end, a good run from Mirallas carves out a chance for Tom Davies, who unleashes a stinging strike and wins a corner via a deflection.

Lyon clear Mirallas's corner and go on the counter, but their move breaks down when Traore shoots from range and puts it over. That was an ambitious effort that failed to trouble Pickford.

Everton are playing with more pace and rhythm now and look dangerous through Mirallas. He's linking up well with Davies, who has provided some good balls from midfield. They need to use their width more, with Martina and Holgate making runs along the flank to provide service for Calvert-Lewin.

OFF THE BAR! Lyon are unlucky not to be 2-0 up because Memphis Depay has just struck a sweet, sweet free kick from 25 yards and rattled the Everton crossbar. The ball took a deflection off Tom Davies on its way towards goal, which is what wrong-footed Pickford. It ends up behind for a corner, which Everton deal with.

Holgate picks out Vlasic with a neat through-pass along the channel and the Croatian pulls off a wonderful turn to lose his marker. He shoots as soon as he enters the area, but his effort flies across the six-yard box and goes wide. Moments later, Klaassen takes advantage of slack Lyon defending and goes one on one with Anthony Lopes, but his tame shot is straight at the keeper!

CHANCE! Everton need to keep close tabs on this Lyon counter, because it's just ripped them apart. Depay carves the Blues wide open and races clean through on Pickford, but like Klaassen at the other end minutes earlier, he shoots straight at the goalkeeper.

Better stuff from Everton these past few minutes. They've picked up the pace and the energy level, and the crowd is responding. They are creating chances too, with Davies and Mirallas linking up well and Vlasic looking dangerous. That said, they do look like getting caught on the counter whenever they venture forward.

HALF TIME: Everton 0-1 Lyon

Everton got off to a disastrous start by giving away an early penalty, which Nabil Fekir dispatched, but they have grown into the game and were giving as good as they were getting by the end of the first half. I don't think Koeman welcomed that whistle.

His side ended the half on the front foot and had Lyon on the ropes when the whistle sounded. That Mirallas-Davies partnership is their route back into this one, but Koeman needs to make a change at the break to up the ante.

Gylfi Sigurdsson would add more impetus than Klaassen in that number 10 slot, while the likes of Sandro or Lookman could replace Calvert-Lewin, who's struggled to gain a foothold in this match.

KICK OFF! Everton get the match back underway.

CHANCE! Everton almost start the second period with a bang as Holgate thumps in a cross from the right which forces Anthony Lopes to dive off his line and parry it behind for a corner. The cross comes in and Calvert-Lewin nods it on for substitute Ademola Lookman to strike, but the youngster doesn't get enough power behind his effort, allowing Lopes to claim.

Everton win a free kick following a scramble between Davies, Mirallas and Tete. The cross finds the head of Williams, but he fails to hit the target. Moments later, Davies loses the ball and Lyon almost punish Everton with Maolida leading the charge. Williams does well to track back and narrow the young striker's angle and forcing him to fire straight at Pickford under pressure.

BOOKING! Lookman becomes the first player in the book tonight for a late tackle. Moments earlier Maolida got away from Michael Keane and let fly, only for Schneiderlin to slide in an absorb the strike.

SUBSTITUTION: Everton make an attacking change in the midfield, taking off Morgan Schneiderlin and throwing on summer signing Gylfi Sigurdsson. Presumably Davies will be dropping deeper so the Iceland international can power forward.

SUBSTITUTION: Lyon have made their first change and taken off their goalscorer Nabil Fekir and replaced him with Jordan Ferri.

BRAWL! Ashley Williams goes in hard on Anthony Lopes and the goalkeeper ploughs into the advertising hording. He gets up and reacts angrily and a mass brawl involving both sets of players breaks out in an instant. A number of players practically end up in the stand and the Everton fans try to get involved too. The referee eventually restores order and books Williams and Traore for their role in the scrap.

SUBSTITUTION: Everton throw on Sandro for Mirallas is a like-for-like swap. The Spaniard will play up front on the right. I think Mirallas was feeling his lack of game time this season because he seemed to burn out in the second half.

GOAL! Everton 1-1 Lyon (Ashley Williams)

Everton are level and it comes following a fantastic free kick from Gylfi Sigurdsson. The Iceland international curls a cross towards the back post and the Wales international meet is with a thunderous header than makes the net bulge. Can the Blues go on and win this now?

OFF THE POST! Sigurdsson's free kicks are Everton's deadliest weapon tonight, so Lyon would do well to stop giving them away in the danger zone. This comes in from 30 yards out, goes over the head of everyone and comes back off the post before the Lyon defence scrambles it clear.

GOAL! Everton 1-2 Lyon (Bertrand Traore)

Lyon have barely been in this in the second period, but they take the lead through what was practically their first counter of the half! Maxwel Cornet charges down the flank and squares a pass to Bertrand Traore in front of goal, and the former Chelsea man meets it with a cheeky backhell which beats Pickford with the help of a deflection off Keane.

Depay plays a free kick long towards the far post and Mouctar Diakhaby, racing up from the back, almost gets a foot to it, but the Dutchman played it just too long. Moments later, slack defending from Everton allows Traore in. He's under pressure from Keane but gets a shot away, bending it over the bar.

Lyon have grown in confidence since taking the lead and they don't look happy with 2-1. Traore receives a great pass from Ferri, turns to buy himself some space and pulls the trigger, but fails to trouble Pickford.

It's frantic end-to-end stuff now as Everton win a series of consecutive corners and keep Lyon under the cosh. Sigurdsson's deliveries are menacing but none of his teammates can capitalise. Diakhaby finally clears the danger.

SAVE! Another Lyon counter almost does Everton further damage. Jordan Ferri leads the charge and makes it as far as the penalty area but Pickford comes racing off his line to block at full stretch. Top save! At the other end, miscommunication between Lopes and his centre-half almost lets Calvert-Lewin in, but the Lyon goalkeeper scrambles the ball clear.

There will be at least five minutes of stoppage time to play.

Poor defending from Keane allows Maxwel Cornet through on goal, but Pickford makes himself big to save Everton's skin again. Just minutes left now...

FULL TIME: Everton 1-2 Lyon

Boos ring out around Goodison Park. At one point in the match, Everton looked like they would go on to win the game with the score tied at 1-1 and Lyon on the back foot, but Bertrand Traore's winner has condemned the Blues to two Europa League defeats out of three.

The pressure is mounting on Ronald Koeman, whose side actually show some improvement tonight. It just goes to show, when things aren't going well, you don't get any luck either.

That's all we have time for here, but be sure to stick with Sports Mole for all the fallout from tonight's game. Thanks for reading!

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Davy Klaassen in action for Everton during a 2017-18 Europa League match
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