Lyon tear Everton

Paris: Lyon piled the pressure on Everton manager Ronald Koeman with a 2-1 Europa League win at Goodison Park while Olivier Giroud’s acrobatic late strike snatched Arsenal a 1-0 victory over 10-man Red Star Belgrade.

Nabil Fekir’s penalty put French side Lyon ahead early on as Everton struggled for inspiration with Wayne Rooney rested and watching on from the stands.

The crowd only really got behind their team when a mass brawl broke out between the players in the second half after skipper Ashley Williams pushed over Anthony Lopes as the Lyon goalkeeper jumped to catch the ball.

The Wales international was lucky not to see red as he also appeared to land blows on several players, while some home fans tried to get in on the action by leaning over the barriers.

The incident is unlikely to go unnoticed by UEFA, but Williams brushed it off by powering home a header from a Gylfi Sigurdsson free-kick just minutes later.

But Lyon were the better side and retook the lead through Bertrand Traore’s clever finish.

Williams played down his moment of madness, telling BT Sport: “It’s football. It is what it is. We want to win and so do they. These things happen... We want to show fight for ourselves, the club and fans.”

Giroud acrobatics save Arsenal 
Arsenal rode their luck at times in an uninspiring performance, before Giroud struck in the 85th minute after Red Star had seen Milan Rodic sent off.

Arsenal took advantage in style with a wonderful goal, as Jack Wilshere’s clever flick was turned across goal by Walcott for Giroud to send an overhead kick spinning into the top corner.

The Premier League side stay top of Group ‘H’, five points clear of Red Star, after three straight wins.