Monday night saw a tightly contested game between Everton and Leeds United. The Whites continued their fight for survival in the Premier League, while David Moyes’ side were looking to snap out of an unwanted run of results.
For the first half of the game Leeds dominated everything and looked like scoring multiple goals, but only got one. James Justin found himself in an advanced position in the box and applied a lovely finish. The fullback mentioned after the game that some advice from a coach lead to that moment.
| Statistic | |
|---|---|
| Goals | 1 |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.23 |
| Big Chances | 3 |
| Total Shots | 14 |
As the second half came, Everton took control of the match and fought for an equalizer. Thierno Barry levelled the game after 76 minutes, with neither side being able to break the deadlock for the rest of the 90 minutes.
Michael Owen delivers Leeds United verdict
A lot of pundits have had their say on the result after the match; Jamie Carragher praised Leeds for their style and Simon Jordan gave a surprising relegation verdict after the game. Michael Owen, who was also covering the match, said Daniel Farke’s side impressed and should have gotten more from the game:
“I thought Leeds were brilliant in the first half, and they were possibly unlucky not to go in two up, obviously Calvert-Lewin hitting the post and one or two other chances, but it did swing in the second half, and Moyes changed formation and personnel, but I think the formation was more important than anything… I think that the Leeds formation was hurting Everton more than anything … it was a formation problem in the first half that Moyes changed, did the right thing, I just wonder whether he could have done it halfway through the first half and that would have saved them getting a good beating in the first half but Everton came back into it and overall you’d say a draw was fair.”
Leeds need to push on for the rest of the season
Though most fans would take the point away from home against Everton, many would argue that this game should have been won. Daniel Farke deserves criticism for his side not capitalizing on the dominance in the first half. His failure to react when David Moyes made changes for his side to get back into the game eventually cost the team. Leeds still have a problem putting away their chances; for many games this season, they dominate but fail to score. Hopefully the signing of Jorgen Strand Larsen can help solve that as the season goes on.
