It is now a post-match tradition in this part of West Yorkshire to play the Kaiser Chiefs’ hit I Predict A Riot whenever Leeds United emerge victorious. There is a telling line in the opening verse about things not being very pretty and Daniel Farke’s side will do well to remember that at this level, it doesn’t have to be: it just has to be effective.
Should Leeds buck the recent trend of promoted sides tumbling straight back into the Championship this season, these are the nights they will have to take full advantage of. Everton were timid at best but it looked as though they would escape Elland Road with a point.
For the majority of the game, they were second best but Leeds could not conjure the killer moment when it mattered most. But eventually, they found a way – albeit through a slice of luck perhaps, as James Tarkowski’s controversial handball led to substitute striker Lukas Nmecha marking his debut with what proved to be the winning goal from the penalty spot in the 84th minute.
A draw on the opening night would hardly have been disastrous for Leeds, but it would have felt slightly flat given the dominance they enjoyed. But Nmecha’s goal sparked wild scenes inside Elland Road: a ground which will play a pivotal role in their survival hopes. It was loud all evening but when Nmecha slotted home, the roof came off.
Who knows how decisive that strike of the German international’s right boot will be come May? For now, with the evenings still light and the temperatures warm, it was a cause for huge celebration. “Of course, for newly promoted sides it has to become a fortress,” he said of Elland Road. “I am quite humble and grateful that we are able to celebrate.”
The decisive moment was not without controversy, though. Carlos Alcaraz slipped in possession inside his own half to allow Leeds to counter, with debutant Anton Stach’s strike deflecting on to the arm of Tarkowski as he leaned towards the ball. There could easily be some debate about whether it was handball.
David Moyes, perhaps unsurprisingly, saw it emphatically one way. “I’m obviously going to say it’s not a penalty and I believe it’s not a penalty,” he said. “I’m really disappointed and unless you cut the boy’s hand off, I don’t know where he goes.”
But in truth, the Everton manager could have little to complain about. His side got what they deserved, as there was no cutting edge or attacking intent on a night that felt quite underwhelming ahead of their first game at their new home on Sunday. The visitors struggled all evening, and could have been behind much earlier than when Nmecha’s winner eventually arrived.
Whether Jack Grealish, only brought on with 19 minutes remaining, could have offered something for Everton earlier is unclear. But without him, the likes of Beto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall were given little to work with in advanced positions. In contrast, Leeds attacked with the greater purpose.
Jordan Pickford sprung into action as early as seven minutes in to deny Joël Piroe, before a number of corners from debutants Stach and Gabriel Gudmundsson caused mayhem, though Leeds could not find the clinical touch. Gudmundsson then forced a smart save. In contrast, Everton touched the ball in the Leeds area once in the opening half hour.
after newsletter promotion
Moyes insisted that Everton improved in the second half and while he was right, it was not enough to trouble Leeds. The better chances kept coming at the other end, even after Grealish emerged.
Ao Tanaka, the game’s standout man and a player who will be integral to Leeds’ survival hopes, tested Pickford before Wilfried Gnonto shot into the side netting. But just when it looked as though it would fade out into a draw, Stach’s shot deflected on to Tarkowski’s arm, Chris Kavanagh pointed to the spot after consulting his linesman and Nmecha did the rest to send Elland Road into delirium.
Last season, it took until October for one of the promoted sides to win a game. The other two didn’t win until November. This opening weekend, two of the three have already won, only the third time that has happened in the Premier League era.
Nights like these suggest even though it is early in proceedings, the relegation scramble may not be the forgone conclusion it has been tipped to be. The celebrations here at full time emphatically underlined anyone expecting to turn up at Elland Road and be handed three points may well come unstuck over the next nine months.
