Jordan Pickford took his goal-kick long but the shot evades everybody in a Blue shirt and trickles into the arms of Anthony Lopes in the rival goal, who will eat away as much time as possible, with only a minute left in the contest.
90' +2
Three minutes left and Everton are committing everybody forward, with Ashley Williams spearheading the attack. It’s all very desperate at the moment and Everton have given up possession to a Lyon free-kick as Lookman slipped as a pass was coming towards him, and the ball made contact with his hand.
90'
A Lyon counter-attack at the stroke of 90’ was blocked well and put out for a corner by a back-tracking Michael Keane who has been very busy in the Everton defence tonight.
89'
T. Ndombélé enters the game and replaces M. Depay.
Genesio is clearly not worried about a potential goalkeeping injury, as he makes his last substitution of the day, removing Memphis Depay for Tanguy Ndombele.
87'
The counter-attack is led by Jordan Ferri who gets himself into the box but Pickford makes an exceptional stretch way outside of his goal to make the necessary block. Going back the other way, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is played in well but a last-second slide by a Lyon defender to block the young English striker’s shot is perfectly employed, but with serious consequences. The Lyon centre-back’s boot made contact with Anthony Lopes who has been down for a number of minutes receiving treatment, but he looks alright to finish the match.
85'
Sigurdsson’s corner is poor but a recycled ball from Keane is put into the box and Calvert-Lewin strikes it well, but Lopes stretches to make the save. The ensuing corner is blocked by a Lyon player and the referee gives another corner to Everton which after some trouble is finally cleared by Diakhaby.
83'
Stat: Everton have scored 60% of their goals this season in minutes 75 to 90. They have failed to convert any chances in the opening 30 minutes all year.
81'
Bertrand Traore received a great pass from Ferri and back-heeled it to himself in order to buy some time. He lost his marker in the process and tried to curl a shot from outside the area but it did not trouble Pickford in the Everton goal. Lyon don’t seem happy with a 1 goal lead and are pressing forward looking for some insurance.
79'
Depay’s delivery from a centred free-kick is a good one, but the Dutch winger put too much pace on it, and Diakhaby was unable to get a touch with an outstretched boot. With 11 minutes to play its 2-1 Lyon!
78'
Play is halted as Marcal, after blocking a cross by Holgate with his stomach, has stayed down and looks quite badly winded. Koeman on the touchline is incensed with the stop – he knows his side cannot waste a second in their search for a second equalizer.
Minute
Description
75'
B. Traoré has scored a goal for Lyon! Assist by M. Cornet.
The newly entered Cornet has the assist for Traore's goal after it was his centring pass that set up the goal.
OH AND BERTRAND TRAORE HAS GIVEN THE LEAD BACK TO LYON! The ball was on the right-hand side with the substitute Cornet. He charged into the box and took on Williams and Martina before feathering a pass into the centre for Traore, who used a cute back-heel to pass it into the net. Just the response Genesio was looking for and its 2-1 Lyon!
73'
The corner-kick is dealt with well by Lyon who have been shunted onto the back-foot, with Everton pressing forward relentlessly at every opportunity. It seems the earlier shoving match has breathed new life into the game, and given confidence to the home side.
72'
SHOULD HAVE BEEN 2-1 FOR EVERTON! Sigurdsson gave another brilliant delivery from a free-kick, this time on the left and the ball rolled through everybody in the box and connected firmly with the far-post before bouncing back into play and off Diakhaby’s head for a corner-kick. So close for Everton there!
70'
M. Cornet enters the game and replaces M. Maolida.
Genesio has decided to remove young striker Maolida in favour of Gnaly Maxwell Cornet.
69'
A. Williams has scored a goal for Everton! Assist by G. Sigurðsson.
Aouar has given away a free-kick just outside the penalty area for taking down Nikola Vlasic. Aouar had gotten into a bit of a tussle with Davies, and taken his frustration out on the young Croatian forward.
Gylfi Sigurdsson, who took the free-kick, will be given the assist.
AND EVERTON HAVE RESTORED PARITY! Gylfi Sigurdsson’s teasing free-kick was met at the back-post by the head of none other than Ashley Williams! The man who had kicked-off the shoving match five minutes earlier has made his mark on the score sheet and brought Everton back from a goal behind! 1-1!
68'
Sandro Ramírez enters the game and replaces Kevin Mirallas.
Everton’s final substitution is an attacking one, as Kevin Mirallas will be removed for summer signing and former Malaga and Barcelona forward Sandro Ramirez.
65'
A. Williams gets yellow.
B. Traoré gets yellow.
Bertrand Traore will also receive a yellow for his part in the fracas.
The referee has seemingly given the benefit of the doubt to the players, with Ashley Williams only getting a yellow card for that blatant and violent shove.
It's all kicking off after a Gylfi Sigurdsson corner-kick. After Lopes had made the stop, Ashley Williams gave a shove to the Portuguese goalkeeper. Mason Holgate, Bertrand Traore and Kevin Mirallas soon got into the melee behind the net and even the fans began leaning over the border and getting involved in the scrap. The referee has a mess to sort out here!
63'
Memphis Depay was played in by a brilliant back-heel flick by Aouar but the winger ran out of room and the ball was shielded out of play wisely by Keane.
61'
J. Ferri enters the game and replaces N. Fekir.
Lyon will make their first change of the day, with Nabil Fekir being replaced by Jordan Ferri.
59'
Marcal plays the ball down the wing for Depay after a quick free-kick but the Dutchman did not give chase as the ball was too far by the time he realized the pass was meant for him. A rare misplay today for Lyon and Marcal, who won the penalty for the game’s only goal so far.
57'
G. Sigurðsson enters the game and replaces M. Schneiderlin.
Schneiderlin will be unable to carry on and is replaced by the more attacking Gylfi Sigurdsson.
56'
Schneiderlin is once again on the ground clutching his hamstring at midfield. Having received treatment only minutes earlier, it appears as though the Frenchman’s day is done as Gylfi Sigurdsson begins warming up and preparing to come on.
55'
A. Lookman gets yellow.
Lookman will be given the first yellow card of the match after a Keane pass was cut out well by Marcal. Sprinting down the wing at pace, the fullback was taken down from behind by Lookman, whose professional foul stopped another Lyon counter-attack.
53'
The referee has stopped play for Morgan Schneiderlin who has remained on the ground after a last-ditch slide prevented a Maolida shot from testing Pickford who was a long way out from his goal. More kamikaze defending from Everton who are not doing themselves any favours. The attack began after Tom Davies was caught in possession allowing a Lyon counter.
51'
Maolida picked up the ball after a giveaway in the Everton midfield and the Toffees were desperately short of numbers but last-man Ashley Williams did well to close the angle and force the young Lyon striker to take a weak shot which was easily saved.
50'
A free-kick has been awarded to Everton after a bit of a scramble between Davies, Mirallas and Tete where the Everton players were complaining that Tete obstructed the ball by landing on it. The in-swinger was met well by Williams but he couldn’t direct his header towards goal.
47'
Lookman immediately gets involved as Calvert-Lewin’s nodded on ball misses Marcal and the substitute tried to turn the ball past Lopes on the half-volley but Lopes got down well to make the save.
46'
A. Lookman enters the game and replaces D. Klaassen.
Koeman has made a change at half-time, with Ademola Lookman coming on to replace Davy Klaassen.
Everton get the second-half underway!
44'
CLOSE FROM TRAORE! He picked the ball up on the right and drove past Martina and Mirallas before bending a shot to the far post which curved JUST wide of Pickford’s goal. Had it been on target, the keeper would have had no chance to stop it. Relief for Everton.
43'
Michael Keane does well to block Maolida’s path on a loose ball in Everton’s half and send it back to Pickford. That could have been a breakaway if the former Burley defender had played it wrong.
41'
Everton surge forward and Calvert-Lewin’s lay-off for Davies was picked off well by Diakhaby. That sent Lyon on a blistering counter-attack but Fekir, after going between two Everton defenders could not find the power necessary to beat Pickford and his shot was saved well by the goalkeeper who dove down to his right.
39'
Nikola Vlasic receives a pass from Holgate with his back to goal and brilliantly spins away from Marcal who was marking him. He took a shot soon after spinning but a lack of pace and accuracy meant that Lopes didn’t even have to make a save.
38'
Fekir gets a touch to it and sets himself before shooting on target, which was blocked skilfully out for a second corner which is punched away promptly by Pickford.
36'
Lyon have once again settled into possession but play is called to a halt after Schneiderlin made a late challenge on Fekir without ever promising to make contact with the ball. Depay’s free-kick is taken direct but Davies gets a head to it and puts it out for a corner.
34'
Everton have a free-kick in a promising position but Mirallas could not find a blue shirt. Keane – the intended target – was marked by three Lyon defenders and had no chance of making contact. A poor ball in from Mirallas who could have made it 1-1 just moments before.
32'
SHOULD BE 1-1! Tom Davies played a brilliant ball through to Kevin Mirallas inside the box and the Belgian took the shot quickly aiming between Lopes’ outstretched legs. The Portuguese goalkeeper closed the gap very quickly and put the ball out for a corner. A fantastic save but Mirallas had much of the net to aim at.
30'
Tom Davies received a centring ball from Kevin Mirallas but the strike was blocked well by a Lyon defender and put out for a corner. The delivery was precise from Mirallas but Ashley Williams’ header was weak and did not reach goal.
28'
Davies has been given a talking to by the referee after he barged into the shoulder of Bertrand Traore off the ball. Certainly born out of frustration, the youngster has given the away side a free-kick in a good area. Luckily for Everton, their ill-discipline will not be punished, as the cross is aimed at the back-post but flew too far for anyone to get a touch.
26'
Cuco Martina puts in a teasing cross for Calvert-Lewin but Lopes picks it out of the air confidently. Another attack breaks down with a whimper for the home side.
25'
A cross coming in from the right just misses Calvert-Lewin and Tousart gets a clearing header on the ball. It falls to Schneiderlin who charges into his volley, but he skews it wide of Lopes right post.
23'
A lovely bit of interchange between Fekir and Depay got Lyon into the Everton penalty area but the final ball to Traore did not reach him. Lyon kept possession and the ball is played down the line to Tete who played a cross into the top of the area for Nabil Fekir to get onto. Pickford, reading the situation very well came well out of his net to grab the ball and does so after bobbling it. Fantastic spell of possession for OL there.
22'
A long hopefully volleyed pass by Tom Davies after receiving a throw-in goes too far for Calvert-Lewin to get on the end of and once again Lopes will retrieve it for a goal-kick. That was a very poor decision by the young English midfielder.
19'
Schneiderlin’s long pass found Vlasic on the right-wing but the forward was unable to handle the spin and the ball rolled out for a goal-kick. It has been that sort of night so far for Everton, after a positive first five minutes.
17'
This time the ball was put to the far-post where Keane’s centring header fell to Vlasic just outside the area. The young Croatian hit it first time on the volley but it went nowhere near the goal. A wasted effort for Everton.
16'
Everton are slowly passing the ball about in midfield – seemingly to build confidence. The ball was finally moved forward to Calvert-Lewin who was immediately fouled by Diakhaby in the same place as Marcal’s earlier on Holgate.
15'
Marcal has lunged into a challenge against Holgate on the right-hand side and the Lyon defender seems to have come off worse for wear. The free-kick was in a good position for an in-swinger, but the Lyon wall does its job and clears the danger immediately.
13'
Since going a goal in front, Lyon have taken a stranglehold on the contest, dominating possession and hitting on the counter every time Everton have a period of sustained ball control. The French side are very dangerous in wide areas, and they have exposed the Everton fullbacks a number of times here so far.
10'
A last-ditch Ashley Williams challenge saved a sure second goal as Depay was through on Pickford all alone. The Welsh centre-back managed to get in the way at the last second and block the shot. Shaky defending from the home side.
8'
Everton had begun the match so positively and that was all for naught as Holgate’s leg made contact with the Lyon fullback. The tackle was not malicious, but it was a clear infringement. The Toffees really have to show the mental toughness that they have lacked early in the season if they want to come back from an early goal – especially with their Europa League lives on the line.
6'
Penalty goal scored by N. Fekir for Lyon!
And Nabil Fekir takes the penalty confidently as he rockets his shot low and to the left of Pickford. The English goalkeeper had guessed the right way, but the pace was too much for the young shot-stopper to handle. 1-0 Lyon!
5'
PENALTY! The referee has decided in a split second that Mason Holgate’s kick on Marcal is worthy of a penalty shot as the challenge was in the area! A horrible start for Everton!
2'
Everton have started the brighter of the two sides, controlling most of the ball for this opening period and pressing Lyon very high up the pitch when out of possession. This is the kind of start that Koeman would have hoped for.
1'
Lyon get the contest underway attacking from left to right!
Good evening and welcome to Goodison Park for our live Europa League text commentary of Everton against Lyon!
After an injection of finances during the transfer window, Ronald Koeman’s side have failed to live up to the lofty expectations of supporters. Currently in sixteenth place, Everton are only two points above Leicester City in the relegation zone. The inability to replace Romelu Lukaku’s goals and a quite alarming lack of pace have condemned the Toffees to a poor start – with Koeman himself referring to their position as a bit of a crisis. Five goals in eight domestic matches are only more than two other sides in the Premier League – both of which occupy the bottom two spots in the division. With one point from their first two games including a 3-0 thrashing against Atalanta, Everton are last in Group E.
Their opponents today, Lyon, are experiencing a crisis of their own. Bruno Genesio’s squad find themselves in sixth place in Ligue 1 – already 9 points off of first place PSG. Goals have not been an issue as they average well over a goal per game, but their defending has been rather shambolic. Their fifteen goals conceded is tied for the most of any team in the French top flight not currently sitting in a relegation position.
The real issue for the once Champions League regulars is a squad-wide lack of fitness. Striker Mariano Diaz as well as left-back Ferland Mendy are unavailable for selection due to injury, as is Pape Diop, Clement Grenier and Jeremy Morel. Genesio has made mention of his decision to include a number of under-21 players in his match day squad. Everton could certainly capitalise on the lack of experience in Lyon’s ranks, but it will be a tough test for the Blues who are looking for their first win in all competitions since September 23rd. A run of poor results also blighted the away side, but their 3-2 win over Monaco last Friday may have been the positive reinforcement they needed to kick-start their season.
Everton starting XI (4-3-3): Jordan Pickford; Mason Holgate, Michael Keane, Ashley Williams, Cuco Martina; Morgan Schneiderlin, Tom Davies Davy Klaassen; Nikola Vlasic, Dominic Calvert-Lewin; Kevin Mirallas.
With fifteen minutes to go before kick-off, the team news has been announced. Let’s start with the home side:
Everton substitutes: Maarten Stekelenburg, Leighton Baines, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Muhamed Besic, Sandro Ramirez, Ademola Lookman
Lyon starting XI (4-2-3-1): Anthony Lopes; Kenny Tete, Marcelo, Mouctar Diakhaby, Fernando Marcal; Lucas Tousart, Houssem Aouar; Bertrand Traore, Nabil Fekir, Memphis Depay; Myziane Maolida.
Bruno Genesio has also changed his shape for this clash, switching from the 4-4-1-1 formation that earned his side a victory against Monaco. An injury to Mendy means Marcal will take his place at left wingback, and Marcelo replaces Yanga-Mbiwa. Memphis Depay will play in the attacking three with Aouar moving inside where Ndombele played at the weekend. Injuries again force the Lyon manager’s hand as they will be without former Real Madrid man Mariano Diaz. The choice of the French manager is to give a fifth appearance of the year to 18-year old Myziane Maolida.
The experimentation continues for Ronald Koeman who is still in search of his best squad. The Dutchman changes from the 4-3-2-1 formtion that earned a draw against Brighton on the weekend. Jagielka and Baines are replaced on the left side of defence by Ashley Williams and Cuco Martina while Idrissa Gueye is dropped to the bench in favour of Tom Davies. Davy Klaassen is preferred to Gylfi Sigurdsson and in attack Everton will start with an attacking trident of Mirallas, Calvert-Lewin and Vlasic.
It has been a lacklustre half for the home side who have rarely threatened Anthony Lopes in goal. A Kevin Mirallas strike from close-range was Lyon’s only moment of real worry. The French side took the lead in the sixth minute after Mason Holgate’s challenge on Marcal in the penalty area was given as a penalty – which Fekir dually dispatched.
HALF-TIME: Everton 0 - 1 Lyon
Lyon have looked confident in defending and have crafted a couple of good opportunities both on the counter and after a spell of possession. Genesio’s side don’t seem too worried about the result, or about conceding and are playing at a calm tempo, dictating terms to Everton and keeping them at bay for the most part. Fully deserving of their lead regardless of how it came, Lyon will be value for their win if they play the second half as they did in the first.
Ronald Koeman saw his side start well, but fade from the match after going a goal behind. The Toffees did not look confident going forward until late in the first half, but their moves were quickly read by the Lyon defence who anticipated every pass well. It seems that Everton’s poor start to the season has continued into this match, and they will need to dig deep if they want to stay competitive in group E.
Unable to arrest his side’s poor performances, Koeman looked incensed with the refereeing tonight and promptly went to tell the match officials his feelings after full-time. It won’t change the fact that Everton have failed to win yet again, and are dead last with a single point after three games in Europa League’s Group E.
A forgettable first-half gave way to a busy second period in which Everton got back level through an Ashley Williams header after a melee in which the Welsh defender shoved Anthony Lopes in the Lyon goal. A shoving match followed, with Mason Holgate, Ashley Williams, Bertrand Traore and even the Everton fans getting involved. This seemed to breathe new life into the Everton team and supporters. Everton looked the better side after equalizing, but the momentum was not with them for long, as Traore’s deft back-heel flick put the ball past Pickford, and put Lyon up 2-1. The score-line would remain the same for the rest of the game despite chances for Lyon and for Everton, who hit the post on a Sigurdsson free-kick.
FULL-TIME: Everton 1 - 2 Lyon
Thanks for following along, we hope you enjoyed the live-text commentary of Everton vs. Lyon! We hope to see you soon!
Genesio will be satisfied with the win as well as the performance for large chunks of the match. His much changed starting eleven performed manfully and were fully deserving of the three points. They attacked in waves and defended confidently, only succumbing to a far-post header after a beautiful Sigurdsson delivery. Lyon will look to continue their promising form in Sunday’s match away against Troyes, while Everton have a difficult task welcoming Arsenal to Goodison that same afternoon.
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