Pressure piles on Koeman after Everton defeat
Everton boss Ronald Koeman cut a frustrated figure after his side again failed to win in the UEFA Europa League, losing 2-1 to Lyon.
The spectre of a sacking looms large over Ronald Koeman after he watched his Everton side lose to Lyon in the UEFA Europa League and record the worst start to this competition by an English club in history.
It was a feisty encounter in Group E, punctuated by a second-half fracas after Toffees skipper Ashley Williams pushed Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes to the ground from a corner, sparking an all-in brawl between both teams.
Ironically, it was Williams who would equalise minutes later, cancelling out Nabil Fekir's first-half penalty.
But Bertrand Traore, who was booked along with Williams after being the first to confront the Everton skipper at the fracas, scored with a cheeky backheel less than 10 minutes later to put Lyon back in front 2-1 in the 75th minute, a lead it held until the final whistle.
Everton went behind early to a penalty, awarded after Fernando Marcal was brought down in the box by Mason Holgate inside the fifth minute of the game.
Nabil Fekir stepped up to convert with some authority, blasting the ball into the bottom right corner, leaving Jordan Pickford helpless to save it despite diving the right way.
Lyon almost pulled further clear four minutes later when Everton coughed up possession in midfield, but Memphis Depay was denied by Williams after a slick move had put him in on goal.
It took half an hour for Everton to come to life, Davy Klaassen almost taking advantage of a poor pass in the midfield as Lyon looked to build an attack.
The second half provided more hope to Everton as it looked to strike back, and eventually, after the blow-up between the players, it had the Goodison Park faithful cheering.
Gylfi Sigurdsson delivered a superb free-kick from outside the box, and Williams rose highest to power home a header that injected vital energy into the home side.
Minutes later, Sigurdsson fired in another dangerous free-kick from the opposite side that eluded everyone, and came back of the far post as the home side piled on the pressure.
But Koeman's side found itself behind again not long after, again losing possession on the touchline where Maxwel Cornet picked up the scraps, working his way into the right side of the penalty area before supplying Traore, who put a cute back-heeled effort past a bemused Pickford.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin had Everton's best chance to equalise again, heading down towards goal from Sandro Ramirez's pinpoint cross, but Lopes was able to get down and make an excellent save.
Pickford was called into action to thwart another Lyon break soon after, but his team-mates were unable to unlock Lyon's defence again, consigning the Toffees to another defeat that leaves it bottom of the group with a single point from three matches.
The Toffees form is no better domestically, with just two wins from its first eight games, and after spending big in the off-season for little gain, Koeman could be out of a job before Everton meets Lyon again in the UEFA Europa League.
His side also faces Arsenal in the Premier League this weekend, the Gunners full of confidence having won their UEFA Europa League clash against Red Star Belgrade.