The scenes that followed Leeds United’s narrow win against Everton will live long in the memory for the Elland Road faithful as Premier League football made a positive return to the Whites’ famous old home.
Daniel Farke’s side produced an electric performance during the opening 45 minutes as they hassled and harried their hosts and gave them little time on the ball. All four corners of Elland Road responded with every challenge and every press as the Whites continued to work hard to keep themselves on top. Despite creating several chances to grab the lead their dominance deserve, the game remained goalless when the half-time whistle was blown and there were fears a golden opportunity may well have been missed.
Everton did improve after the restart but chances were few and far between as the game appeared to be heading towards a stalemate. However, that all changed with six minutes left on the clock as Toffees defender James Tarkowski blocked an Anton Stach shot with his arm and the match officials awarded a penalty that was confirmed with a VAR review. Summer signing Lukas Nmecha kept his cool from the spot and beat England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to ensure the Whites made a winning return to the Premier League and spark post-match celebrations that Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes must become commonplace this season if Farke’s men are to remain in the top flight.
When asked if Leeds had sent out a message, the former Reds defender told Sky Sports Monday Night Football: “Yes, especially with the first half performance because they were excellent there. I thought Everton, in the second half, came into the game, nullified Leeds a little bit and I felt the game was drifting to a nil-nil. So David Moyes is so disappointed at the end of the game. I said this before the weekend started, besides Everton fans and besides West Ham fans, you need the promoted teams to get off the mark, to get a win to build some momentum and just try and make this Premier League a lot more competitive than it’s been in these last few years. Two promoted teams winning on the opening weekend of the season is a good start.”
He added: “You know what this reminds me of, and I’m going back a few years, when Brentford came up. When teams win a game in the Premier League now, every game feels like an event and it should, I get it. The league is so big, to play in the Premier League, to win a game in the Premier League now feels so huge for the promoted clubs. That’s what they’ve got to do, they’ve got to create something special at Elland Road where teams do not want to go there.”
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