The dismissal of Eric Tie Bi proved the key moment as Evian slipped to a 3-1 loss at Dijon.
Substitute Tie Bi had only been on the pitch eight minutes when he was dismissed in the 19th minute, and Dijon took advantage by taking the lead through Benjamin Corgnet three minutes before the break.
Brice Jovial's second-half brace killed the game off before Yannick Sagbo pulled one back 14 minutes from the end.
Jovial could have got on the scoresheet as early as the second minute when he turned the Evian defence before seeing his shot saved by Stephan Andersen.
There was a brief hold-up for a floodlight failure, but when the players came back on there was more of the same as Jovial received a long ball from goalkeeper Baptiste Reynet, controlled and volleyed against the post in the 15th minute.
Four minutes later, Tie Bi, himself a replacement for the injured Olivier Sorlin, saw red for a bad tackle on Eric Bautheac.
Evian sought to defy their disadvantage as Cedric Cambon's header was saved by Reynet, but the hosts took the lead just before the break as Jovial advanced into the area and pulled the ball back for Corgnet to beat Andersen.
Five minutes into the second half Jovial deservedly got on the scoresheet when he slotted home Bautheac's cross.
Evian were unlucky not to get back into the game just a minute later when Sagbo's shot from Cedric Barbosa's cross went through Reynet's legs but hit the post.
And after 56 minutes it was game over when Jovial got on the end of Bautheac's free-kick and dispatched in past Andersen.
Sagbo pulled one back, beating Reynet with a low shot after being played in by Sidney Govou, but it was not enough for Evian
