A late penalty from new signing Lukas Nmecha earned promoted Leeds United a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Everton in their first match back in the Premier League on Monday night.
Leeds dominated the first half in front of a raucous Elland Road crowd, but wasted a host of chances to break the deadlock. Everton, on the other hand, did not muster a single shot, on or off target, in the opening period.
The visitors brought on close season arrival Jack Grealish as they improved after the break, but James Tarkowski’s handball gave the hosts the opportunity to snatch victory six minutes from time.
Nmecha, a free transfer ahead of the new campaign, stepped off the bench to emphatically convert from the spot, ensuring Leeds, back in the top flight after a two-year absence, got their season off to the perfect start.
“On field, it felt like a penalty in the moment, perhaps it was also a bit emotional with the roar of the stadium,” Leeds boss Daniel Farke said.
“Lukas’ first two or three touches were not spot on — I was a bit worried because normally he’s an outstanding penalty taker.
“I was overthinking if I should tell him today it’s perhaps not the day to take a penalty. Thank God I didn’t step in. He was ice cold and calm.”
For the past two seasons the three teams that have come up from the Championship have gone straight back down, but Monday’s performance made Leeds look like a team that could buck the trend.
Joel Piroe brought a fine early save out of Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, with the Dutch striker then twice going close to an opener in the first half as the away side toiled.
It took until eight minutes into the second half for the visitors to manage a shot at goal, Idrissa Gueye hammering an effort well over the top.
While Everton looked more of a threat after the arrival of 100 million pound forward Grealish, who is on loan from Manchester City, they still lacked a cutting edge.
Leeds got the goal their efforts warranted, even if Everton felt aggrieved over the penalty decision.
“It’s not a penalty,” Everton coach David Moyes said. “We didn’t play well enough on the night, but the big frustration is the referees have actually had a bad opening weekend. I just don’t know what the rules are supposed to be.”
Following Sunderland’s win on Saturday, Leeds’ success means that for the third time in Premier League history two promoted sides have won in the opening round of fixtures.
