Key events
Thanks for joining me.
Here is the report.
David Moyes: “Leeds were better than us on the night, especially in the first half. We were better in the second. I think the goal was really harsh. I spoke to the referee, he seems to think if you can lean, your arm can go away. It took a deflection, I don’t know if Tarky would need to have his arm chopped. Tonight, that was a poor decision. VAR had a chance to get that decision right and I think it wasn’t fair. The crowd were probably the ones who were a bit intimidating. We can’t do anything about it now, it’s a poor decision.”
James Tarkowski: “Not a penalty. As soon as the ref blew, I was confident it wold be overturned. The ball is allowed to hit your arm but as long as it’s not in an unnatural position, it’s not handball. The linesman has given it and he’s 45 yards away, it’s a bizarre decision. I can’t understand it.”
Carragher says it is handball.
Neville agrees.
Lukas Nmecha in his very Mancunian accent: “Amazing, really pleased. An amazing three points.
“In the games I have played here, I have always been on the takers’ sheet.
“I normally decide before the game, if I get one where to put it. I just put it hard and low. It was hard to save.
“We had a lot of confidence from winning the league and the way we did it. We didn’t play like a team who had come up, we dominated a lot of the ball.
“I am very confident, if it wasn’t for circumstances, I would have made it here a lot earlier.
“The fans are electric, I’ve not dealt with something like this before.”
Aaron Bower’s report has landed!
Justin Kavanagh pens: “Didn’t Fabian Hurzeler sing and dance with an Austrio-German boy-band called Hübshe Jungs or something? Until the infamous falling out with fellow bandmate Oliver Glasner over “tactical differences.”
Eric Peterson: “Pre-millennium MTV: Music Television in the United States had an alternative-devoted weekly show called 120 minutes. The host: Matt Pinfield, a worthy stunt double for Arne Slot if I’ve ever seen one.”
Daniel Farke seems to have done a good seven or eight laps of honour.
Leeds are in seventh after today’s win. Will they finish there? Almost certainly not.
I hope the Kaizer Chiefs get royalties for the amount the music is played at Elland Road.
Stefan Volkmann says: “Complete neutral no skin in the game – seems absolutely stonewall to me. You cannot move your arm towards the ball and use it to block a goalbound shot. It doesn’t matter if your arm is by your side.”
Mixed views on this penalty.
Farke, on the other hand, is absolutely buzzing. He has hugged everyone he can see in a white shirt.
Tarkowski goes over to the officials for a lengthy chat about the decision. He is soon joined by Moyes, who does not look happy.
Full time: Leeds 1-0 Everton
A game of very fine margins, settled by a debatable penalty. The Premier League truly is back.
90+5 mins: Quite a few emails dropping into my inbox to say it was not a handball. I understand why it was given but still feel it was harsh.
90+4 mins: Longstaff is on for his debut. Tanaka off.
Mary Waltz writes: “We Everton fans can complain all we want about the Handball [armball?] All we like but we really don’t deserve any points from this performance. Tip of the cap to Leeds.”
I’d have said a draw was fair.
90+2 mins: Stach thrashes a shot from 20 yards or so but it is straight at Pickford who fists clear.
Stach has another chance soon after, volleying over from an Aaronson cross.
Colum Fordham writes: “Just tuned into the match and the MBM and have just seen the most ridiculous penalty decision. Tarkovski couldn’t have had his arm more closely attached to his body. And VAR checked it! Seriously?
“I’m a neutral but hope Everton get an equaliser. Otherwise, they’ve been diddled.”
90 mins: Seven mins added on.
Elland Road is lively.
88 mins: Grealish drifts beyond Bogle, who gets his own back with a foul. It gives Everton a chance to send the ball into the box. Dewsbury-Hall swings it in. The ball pinballs inside the box, Grealish gets a shot away, shooting into the floor. Leeds get it away and it comes back, reaching Tarkowski at the back post but he can’t control his header.
86 mins: Barry is sent on for his debut, Alcaraz is removed.
85 mins: I suspect Farke will say it was a nailed on penalty and Moyes will suggest it was a farce.
GOAL! Leeds 1-0 Everton (Nmecha, pen, 84)
The substitute, on his debut, finds the bottom corner.
83 mins: VAR is looking to see if the defender pushes his arm out to the left or if he is trying to pull it behind his back.
PENALTY GIVEN!
82 mins: PENALTY TO LEEDS! Stach shoots from 20 yards and hits the arm of Tarkowski, whose arm is a little out of the left.
81 mins: Grealish looks eager to get on the ball. He drifts out to the touchline to receive a pass and sends another down the line to Garner but his cross is blocked.
80 mins: Grealish does a bit of dribbling and passes to Gueye, who bizarrely kicks it out for a throw. Not the best.
Tanaka has a cracking chance after a nudged pass from Aaronson bounces perfectly for him but the midfielder fires over.
78 mins: A superb delivery from Dewsbury-Hall reaches O’Brien at the front post but he gets too much on it.
Gruev, Nmecha and Harrison are on, Piroe, Ampaedu and James are off.
Richard Hirst writes: “Grealish booed – for reasons unknown? Every other team’s fans will have good reason. For me ( Fulham) it’s for trying to put Tom Cairney out of the game in the 2018 play off final (oh and the hairstyles haven’t helped).”
Not sure anyone should be booed for having a barber.
76 mins: O’Brien wins a foul on the right flank. Dewsbury-Hall comes over to take it but he can’t beat the first man.
He does better soon after and gets the ball into Alcaraz after neat footwork, allowing the Argentinian to whack a low shot which Perri does well to save.
74 mins: Everton are dominating possession at this stage. I can’t say they are zipping it around, more biding their time. Leeds need to change something. Nmecha, Harrison and Gruev are getting ready.
72 mins: Grealish is final on the pitch. He gets his customary boos for reasons unknown. He seems to have gone out to the left, with Alcaraz down the middle and Ndiaye on the right.
70 mins: James and Garner collide. It is a foul by the Everton man but the referee misses it. Both players are in pain but get up.
68 mins: Grealish is ready to come on for Iroegbunam. Will Grealish go in as a No 10?
Aaronson on for Gnonto. Gruev has sat back down.
66 mins: O’Brien’s cross is easily caught by Perri, who quickly whacks it up field but Keane is on hand to take control.
64 mins: Tanaka is penalised for a foul on Alcaraz. The Everton man wants a yellow card for the Leeds midfielder but instead gets one of his own. He realises his naivety and shakes the referee’s hand.
Everton get a corner on the right, their first of the match. It comes to nothing.
Gruev and Aaronson primed to come on …
62 mins: “Once Grealish gets on the dynamic will change in favour of Everton,” suggests Bernard McCabe. “It will be hard to hold on to him.”
60 mins: Ampadu eventually gets up after lengthy treatment. He has a bit of a limp but eventually jogs off to the sidelines.
Leeds have a corner on the right but Everton manage to get it clear.
58 mins: Ampadu is still down and does not look happy. Leeds are preparing Gruev.
57 mins: Iroegbunam flies into a challenge on Ampadu. The Welshman is left on the turf in pain and the Everton man is booked for a reckless foul.
55 mins: Ndiaye does well inside the box and lays the pass off to Gueye, who pings his shot over from 19 yards.
Down the other end, Gnonto takes a fine touch inside the box and gets a shot away, which hits the sidenetting.
I was at a wedding in Germany on Friday with a Leeds-supporting groom. Marching On Together was played a few times at the event.
53 mins: Everton are enjoying more possession here. I wonder if Grealish for Alcaraz at the hour mark might help at this stage.
I’ve had so many managers as musicians suggestions, that I will hold them for full-time because otherwise I won’t mention the football.
51 mins: Tanaka intercepts a pass and quickly plays in Gnonto, who shoots from the edge of the box but it is straight at Pickford.
“I’m pretty sure Pep worked with Brian Eno in Berlin,” writes Gary Naylor.
49 mins: Tarkowski shows his intelligence to intercept a pass aimed for Gnonto. I do feel he is one of the most underrated centre-backs about.
Pickford is nearly caught out when a backpass stops rolling and he is forced to slide out to clear it.
47 mins: Dewsbury-Hall leads the charge towards the Leeds both, he tries to lay it off to Beto, who picks it up but he is too wide and has to turn back.
Second half
Here we go again!
No changes at the break.
Kristof Kuenssler-Mc Ilwain writes: “Would love to see Andoni Iraola play the bass guitar in a Psychedelic Cumbia big band, Oli Glasner has the absolute 80s soft rock energy, and Graham Potter is that friend that carries all the gear inside, but is only allowed to actually play the guitar when nobody else is in the rehearsal room…”
Eric Peterson says: “I don’t understand the hand-wringing about Jack Grealish not starting. If you know the opposition, juiced by promotion and a home opener, is going to be pressuring you like crazy, best not to waste the legs of someone whose best football is with the ball on the wing and a fullback at his mercy. Grealish would’ve been a helpless passenger in that first half. There’ll be chances to play to his strengths once the game settles down and the Leeds fuel tank depletes a bit.”
Grealish warms up at half-time alone and is sent into the changing rooms. Will he come on?
Kári Tulinius emails: “I haven’t been able to shake Louise Taylor’s brilliant description of Daniel Farke as looking like a former heavy metal star. I’ve been thinking about what sorts of bands the premier league managers look like they played for. So far I’ve got: David Moyes, post-punk; Scott Parker, landfill indie; Mikael Arteta, eurodance; Régis Le Bris, math rock; and Fabian Hürzeler, electroclash. Can you think of more?”
I see Mikel Arteta as more of an orchestra conductor.
Half-time reading.
Leeds were the better side in the opening 45 minutes but they did not create anything of note. Everton played with almost zero ambition, so will be very happy with how things are going.
Half time: Leeds 0-0 Everton
No minutes added on.
44 mins: Ampadu launches a throw into the box but it beats everyone. It reaches Gnonto around 25 yards from goal, from where he shimmies to earn some space but then thrashes his shot over.
42 mins: Everton enjoy a few seconds of possession, taking a little bit of the sting out of the game. I suspect they will be happy to reach half-time goalless.
40 mins: Peter Oh says: “I suppose your update on 30 mins is not the one-touch football that Everton fans are hoping for.”
I’m not sure there’s been a second yet …
38 mins: The resulting corner is another dangerous one but O’Brien wins the header at the back post.
Leeds keep the pressure on and Pickford is forced into a mildly bizarre save, sliding out and punching the ball clear from a deflected effort.
36 mins: James attacks a good cross from the left but sees it late, gets a jab at the ball, only to see it deflected wide.
“Sorry for Richard Hirst (2 mins),” writes Jeremy Boyce, “but Dunc and Bites yer legs attitude and actions are consigned to the history book. You can’t even mither the ref these days, let alone chin or cripple someone. Footie is so woke these days. No wonder Trump wants in.”
The game truly has gone when you can’t bite an opponent.
34 mins: Perri takes a bad touch and the ball goes out of play and it should be a corner to Everton but the officials fail to notice.
Bill Neely suggests: “62% possession … it’s pretty much like Leeds’ statistic in the Championship last year, but the issue is one Everton counter-attack and it’s one-nil to the away side. Leeds have to make all this possession and all this pressure count. If they can’t win this one, with so much possession, pressure and the home crowd behind them, what game will they win?”
Everton not looking like much of a threat on the counter currently, at least.
32 mins: Tanaka might be a little bored here because he for some reason decides to shoot from 35 yards and it goes miles wide.
Ezra Finkelstein says: “Great to be back in the Premier League as a Leeds fan. Tanaka and Gnonto look at home here under the bright lights.”
30 mins: Everton have had one touch in the Leeds penalty box. Not what they want.
