If Ronald Koeman was in any doubt that he was under pressure as manager of Everton then a tweet from the Mayor of Liverpool appeared to sum up the feelings of many Everton supporters after the dismal draw away to Brighton and Hove Albion.

“Koeman will be judged by results, this was another poor one & poor performances v poor side. I ask him have any players improved under him?” tweeted a frustrated Joe Anderson, an Evertonian who wrote in another tweet: “Most fans wanted him [Koeman] so think he should be given a bit more time. He is clearly the problem but not sure he can find solution.”

Obviously Anderson, the city’s elected mayor but also an outspoken fan, was only reacting in a personal capacity to the result on social media but it does not help alleviate the tense mood around Koeman who had claimed in the build-up he was not feeling any extra strain, while admitting the club were in a “difficult situation”.

But the feeling around Everton was that defeat was unthinkable. “My whole football life is pressure, if I don’t get pressure from outside I put pressure on myself,” Koeman said.

Again Koeman talked up the “commitment” of his team as a sign that they are behind him, although a return of eight points from eight Premier League matches is not good enough for a club that has invested heavily this year, with a host of new players signed, and has ambitions to challenge at the top of the table not scrap near the bottom.