Daniel Farke called on the Leeds fans to make Elland Road a fortress but he knew that would only be possible if his side started positively. And they delivered.
Under the lights, Leeds raced out of the blocks and set the tempo doing everything but score in the first half. ‘Great credit to Leeds.
They were incredibly intense, especially in the first 30 minutes,’ said David Moyes, who admitted Leeds were the better side.
Both Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson were relentless down the flanks while the Leeds midfield won the battle.
The only thing Farke’s side lacked was a killer edge in the final third. ‘When you’re that dominant, you need players with that firepower at the end,’ he admitted. It took a moment of fortune to get the penalty in the second half but it was no less than they deserved.
At Norwich, Farke won only six of his 49 Premier League games but if this performance was anything to go by then he will have a much better record at Leeds.
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Daniel Farke called on the home faithful to make their famous old ground a fortress against Everton
Elland Road was bouncing after Lukas Nmecha’s strike secured victory for Leeds on their return to the Premier League
Moyes sums up Toffees’ display
In the 41st minute, David Moyes stood on the Elland Road touchline with his hands on his head. It summed up Everton’s display. There was one team that looked like they had just got promoted and it certainly wasn’t Leeds.
Everton were all over the place in the first half and if it wasn’t for Leeds’ wastefulness, this game could have been over. David Moyes’ side went through pre-season without winning and they struggled to cope with Leeds’ intensity.
They looked rattled from the outset and it took them half an hour to get a touch in Leeds’ box and until the second half to get a shot away. Worryingly, they look like a downgrade from last season.
David Moyes cut a frustrated figure as he watched his side struggle to get to grips with their opponents
Continuity wins the day
For all the talk of new signings, eight of Leeds’ ten outfield players were from the side that got them promoted to the Championship and this would have done wonders for their confidence – albeit against an Everton side that looked like relegation contenders for much of the first half.
Crucially for Leeds, the three debutants who started all impressed too. Lucas Perri was hardly called upon in the first half but made an important save after the break to deny Carlos Alcaraz and keep a massive clean sheet. Down the left, Gabriel Gudmundsson showed exactly why he was one of Leeds’ early arrivals, bombing up and down the flank.
The Swede was their best player on the night. While Anton Stach displayed his class with 86 touches – more than anyone else – and will be such an asset for Leeds in midfield. It was left for the ‘excellent’ Lukas Nmecha to win the game with just his third touch to cap off a perfect evening for Leeds.
A display befitting of a captain
‘A key player for us is my captain.’ That’s how Farke described Ethan Ampadu, who led from the outset and ran the game from the heart of midfield. Alongside Stach and Ao Tanaka, the Leeds midfield trio were simply too good for Everton.
That Sean Longstaff was only required to come on in injury time illustrated how energetic and relentless they were and if it wasn’t for Ampadu picking up a worrying knock in the second half, he too would have played the full game.
As for Tanaka, this was an early sign that he has what it takes at Premier League level. Without Abdoulaye Doucoure, Everton lacked any sort of presence off the ball and were bullied by Leeds.
‘A key player for us is my captain.’ That’s how Farke described Ethan Ampadu, who led from the outset
Another tough night for underfire Beto
In pre-season, Moyes admitted that he was disappointed with Beto and wanted more from him
Beto endured an evening to forget up top for Everton. In pre-season, Moyes admitted that he was disappointed in the striker and wanted more from him.
Well he offered nothing against Leeds. In mitigation, there was a lack of service for the 27-year-old but he managed just 22 touches and could barely hold the ball up whenever he got it, giving it away cheaply on a number of occasions.
On talkSport, Troy Deeney said Beto ‘couldn’t trap cement’ if he tried. Thierno Barry came on in the 86th minute and arguably did more than Beto. As for Jack Grealish, he initially looked rusty after coming on in the 71st minute but did offer glimpses of his quality with a few silky touches.
