Late Controversial Penalty Means Leeds Win on Opening Fixture

Everton suffered a frustrating but deserved 1-0 defeat to newly promoted Leeds United yesterday, with the consistent pressure of both Farke’s side on the pitch andthe menacing atmosphere able to dismantle a lacklustre Everton side through a controversial penalty late on in the game.

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Lineups:

Leeds:

Perri

Bogle

Rodon

Struijk

Gudmunsson

Tanaka

Ampadu

Stach

James

Piroe

Gnonto

Everton:

Pickford

Garner

Keane

Tarkowski

O'Brien

Gueye

Iroegbunam

Ndiaye

Dewsbury-Hall

Alcaraz

Beto

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Leeds had 5 corners within the first half, with the first one coming within the first 5 minutes when Gnonto’s through ball into the box was in the path of Leeds striker Joel Piroe, and Tarkowski attempted to clear the ball away from danger. Not getting the desired amount of force on the ball to prevent the ball from slipping through into Everton’s penalty area, the ball bobbled past the English defender. Although Piroe was now through on goal, the angle was not in the Dutch striker’s favour, with Pickford getting his body in the way, diverting it out for a corner. This type of pressure continued, with Everton highly under the cosh throughout the first 45 minutes of action. Although Leeds’ build-up was no match for the Everton side, the lack of clear-cut chances would have been frustrating for Daniel Farke, especially towards the latter end of the first half, when on frequent occasions, Leeds would find themselves just outside the box; however, the shots, like Gnonto’s in the 43rd minute, would go wide.

Within the second half, the momentum, for the Toffees, improved. A strong shot by Carlos Alcaraz following an impressive move and pass by new signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to get past American international Brenden Aaronson was Everton’s first real chance of the night, coming in the 76th minute. From the corner given to the Blues, following the save from Lucas Perri, Jake O’Brien was free as the Irish defender jumped far above his marker, Gabriel Gudmundsson. However, O’Brien was facing the wrong way to goal, getting too much on the ball as it headed just above the top of the crossbar.

At this time as well, there was the introduction of Everton’s new signing, Jack Grealish, from Manchester City, with the marquee loan signing given a warm reception by the travelling fans. Grealish has shown some signs of his ability, with the hopes that the 29-year-old can play freely, something restricted under Pep Guardiola.

In the 87th minute, Everton were soaking in a load of pressure, with Leeds creating more chances as the end of the game was getting closer. A strong shot from the edge of the box by Leeds midfielder Anton Stach hit Dewsbury-Hall and diverted in the direction of James Tarkowski. Although his arms were by his side, the ball struck the arm of Tarkowski, causing a lot of controversy for both fans after the game on social media and the ultimate decision in the VAR room, which was a penalty. Nmecha stepped up for Leeds, and although Pickford dived the right way, the placement of the shot was world class, in the bottom right-hand corner, giving Leeds United the lead on the night.

Everton could not create anything major within the 7 minutes of additional time added on by the fourth official, with Leeds having the most chance of scoring within this time! An overall disappointing performance by Everton, with David Moyes agreeing in his post-match interview with the media, consistently referring to the lack of players, as the Scottish manager has done a lot this summer. Alarm bells are ringing at the moment for the Toffees on whether more additions can be made until the transfer window deadline.

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Thank you for reading my post-match article!