Fan strikes player as Ashley Williams and Everton go down fighting against Lyons

Bertrand Traoré, Lyons’ £8.8 million signing from Chelsea, piled in. Some of the Everton coaching staff and the visiting coach, Bruno Génésio, stepped in and acted as peace makers. Uefa could charge both sides with failing to control their players, and also take Everton to task over the hesitant stewarding at the front of the Gwladys Street end.

Remarkably, Williams escaped with only a yellow while Traoré was also booked. Both went on to score, Williams equalising Nabil Fekir’s penalty opener and then Traoré flicking in the winner. Those were the bare facts of the night but the debating point revolved around the responsibilities of one supporter. You won’t win anything with kids, especially not fights. What a wretched example he was setting.

It is a struggle to understand the mindset of an adult so intent on getting at a visiting player, that he takes a child into the fray with him. It is a tradition as old as the game for fathers to introduce sons to football, passing down the passion for the game and love of a club from generation to generation, but this was madness, and a scary situation for the child. What does it teach the child? That physical aggression towards opponents is part of match-day protocol? An unreconstructed man needs some educating. Maybe the critical headlines will serve as the first lesson. The shame game has begun.

This was a night of the good, the bairn and the ugly. Everton responded spiritedly to falling behind after six minutes. It was such a poor goal to concede. Mason Holgate, Everton’s right back, was doubly culpable, firstly getting dragged into midfield, gifting space for Memphis Depay to run into. The Dutchman darted left, forcing Michael Keane to rush out to try to deal with the danger.

Depay immediately turned the ball inside for Marçal, the left back who had charged forward into an area vacated by Keane. Holgate was sprinting back, trying to cover for Keane but panicking, forgetting all his defensive training, and swinging his right foot wildly as Marçal cut in. The Brazilian was scythed down. The Gwladys Street end groaned, anticipating the inevitable punishment from the spot duly supplied by Fekir.

Everton were too uncertain, too prone to mistakes. Keane overhit a ball, sending it flying out. Nikola Vlasic fired over. Davy Klaassen underhit one pass which was picked off. Klaassen was too jittery for too long, and departed at the break for Ademola Lookman. Koeman was increasingly adventurous; his starting XI had appeared to contain width, pace and balance but, crucially, no belief.

Until then, the lad outside Goodison in “penny for the guy’’ mood with stuffed sidekick was showing more initiative than Everton. Koeman stood in the rain, signalling his frustration with every gesture, occasionally debating decisions with the fourth official. Dominic Calvert-Lewin ran hard upfront, and Tom Davies foraged forward from midfield but they lacked a cutting edge, and a confidence.

Everton 1 Lyons 2: watch Williams take revenge moments after mêlée

But the scrap really got them going. Williams should have been off but soon he was on target after 69 minutes, the captain heading in Sigurdsson’s free kick after Vlasic was fouled. Goodison rocked with joy, continuing when Sigurdsson hit a post. Everton’s joy was short-lived. Lyons regained the lead six minutes later. Maxwel Cornet caught out Williams badly and crossed from the right. Traoré, being challenged by Keane, flicked the ball low past Pickford at the near post.

Everton almost equalised when the substitute Sandro Ramírez crossed for Calvert-Lewin whose header was pushed away. With so many players pushed forward they were vulnerable to the counter and Pickford had to be quick from his line to save at the feet of Cornet and then grasp the ball before Depay could pounce.

At the final whistle, a few players exchanged unpleasantries but the fire had gone out of Everton. Their manager still railed. Koeman remonstrated with the Dutch officials at the end, three times going back to Bas Nijhuis, the referee, to complain about what he called the French side’s diving, particularly the way they stayed down. Koeman was especially enraged by Fekir, and Nijhuis’ failure to add on more time.

Koeman looked the picture of frustration, hair soaked by the rain, unshaven, a manager raging against perceived injustice and poor results. This would have been an even more painful defeat but for the reflexes of Pickford.

Everton have only two wins in 12 and urgently need victory over Arsenal here on Sunday; Koeman rested Wayne Rooney and Phil Jagielka, kept Leighton Baines on the bench, and only reluctantly sent on Sigurdsson so he needs a strong performance from his full-strength side against Arsenal. Arsène Wenger rested players against Red Star Belgrade and won last night.

The focus on the antics in the Gwladys Street end took the spotlight slightly away from Koeman, but he is clearly under pressure, and looks under pressure.