Everton crash out of Europe
Flops crash out of Europe to end their caretaker’s job bid
THERE is a song that has been sung by Evertonians for years, one with lyrics that sound more like a battle cry.
The fans tell the players how they ‘will fight, fight, fight with all our might for the boys in the Royal Blue jersey’. That line must be remembered when you consider how Everton surrendered their place in Europe and, effectively, destroyed David Unsworth’s hopes of becoming manager.
Briefly, last night it seemed as if Everton would restore some calm to this most turbulent season. For an hour, the game plan Unsworth concocted had worked but then, as has been the case so often in these last three ruinous months, the world fell in.
In the space of 21 minutes, Everton were dismantled. There was no fight, fight, fight as the goals poured in — they were just weak, weak, weak.
‘Whatever team I am coaching, I always say you all come together for five to 10 minutes and don’t concede again,’ said Unsworth, who looked shattered. ‘We can’t just cave in like that. You can’t defend like that and hope to win a game. It was so disappointing.’
Here was a night as dispiriting as any they have endured this season, one exacerbated by a horrible injury to Cuco Martina. The full back was carried off unconscious on a stretcher after falling awkwardly when challenging for a high ball in the first half. He was later discharged from hospital.
‘He was concussed and complaining of pains in his neck,’ said Unsworth. ‘Hopefully he will be with us soon.’
The objective here was to restore some confidence and avoid defeat at all costs. ‘ I want to win,’ Unsworth had insisted beforehand, but the pragmatic team he selected showed what he was really thinking.
It may have been odd to see Gylfi Sigurdsson, a £45million No 10, playing as central striker but this was not an evening for personal ambitions to get in the way. Unsworth needed everyone working in harmony. And for the first 45 minutes they did exactly that.
Lyon wanted to stretch the game and use the pace of their flying attackers Memphis Depay, Nabil Fekir, Bertrand Traore and Maxwel Cornet but Everton rarely let them pass. When they did, Jordan Pickford stopped Traore’s glancing header in the 24th minute and followed it up by beating away Depay’s free-kick and Traore’s drive before half-time.
Everton almost found a way through at the start of the second half, but Idrissa Gana Gueye’s shot was cleared off the line by Mouctar Diakhaby.
Sigurdsson then came close but his left-footed attempt curled wide after substitute Dominic CalvertLewin created the space.
Within a minute, Everton were behind.
A long ball caused panic, allowing Traore to waltz around Pickford and score.
Unsworth spun on his heels in frustration — they didn’t deserve to be losing — but old bad habits quickly resurfaced and 1-0 swiftly became 2-0. Another long ball and more panic in the defence preceded a super finish from substitute Houssem Aouar.
By now Everton had collapsed and when Schneiderlin was dismissed for two bookings, you feared the worst. So it proved when Depay added the third in the 88th minute. They now face Watford in a game they dare not lose.
‘I’ve left the players in no uncertain terms it is a huge game for them as well,’ said Unsworth. ‘We have to find a way to win.’