Leeds United

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer at Elland Road

Image source, Getty Images

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke stated before kick-off that his side would stick to the attacking principles that took them back into the top flight - and he was true to his word.

They pinned Everton back in a state of panic throughout the first half, but could not find the breakthrough, with only one of their 12 shots on target.

Leeds' concern at half-time was that they would not be able to maintain the sheer intensity after the break, fuelled by adrenalin in a supercharged Elland Road environment.

It looked like all their endeavours would only be rewarded with a point - until James Tarkowski's late handball, a penalty correctly awarded after a video assistant referee check.

Leeds survived an anxious seven minutes of stoppage time without any serious alarms for debutant goalkeeper Lucas Perri, the famous old stadium shaking when referee Chris Kavanagh blew the final whistle.

It was a night that proved, if proof were needed, that Elland Road and its hostile environment will be a key factor in Leeds United's campaign to stay in the Premier League.

Did you know?

• Leeds kept a clean sheet in their opening game of a league campaign for the first time in 13 seasons, since a 1-0 victory over Wolves in August 2012 in the Championship.

Leeds United kicked off their 2025-26 Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win over Everton at Elland Road.

Whites boss Daniel Farke told BBC Sport "it was a really magic night" and a "top performance" from his side.

"We are happy and grateful we are allowed to present our supporters, who had to suffer a lot over the years," he said. "It was special and a really good day for us.

"We were dominant in the first first half and had 12 shots. That is outstanding for a newly promoted side.

"I was bit worried because we were so dominant and normally you score. It can be costly when you don't take your opportunities. Lukas Nmencha took his opportunity. It was hard fought."

On the penalty: "I haven't seen it back on telly. During the game, I got the feeling it was a penalty. There was an emotional influence by the roar of the home crowd.

"I was a bit worried as the check was so long, but if the check takes that long then surely you can't overturn it.

"I haven't seen it back so I can't judge it. I hope the referee was right."

On Nmecha taking the penalty: "I was a bit worried because I don't like a player who is just in the game to take them, but he is such a good penalty taker. I didn't want to stop him.

"Calm yourself down and he will do the job. He has suffered a bit in the past years, but he came up with the decisive goal.

"A good start is always crucial. The first win out of the way and the first clean sheet. We have to carry on and win many more points.

• Hear more from Farke on BBC Sounds

Did you know?

• Nmecha became the first Leeds substitute to score on his Premier League debut since Alan Smith in November 1998, while he is the first player to score a penalty on his debut for the club in the competition.

Leeds are close to reaching an agreement with AC Milan for Switzerland forward Noah Okafor, 25, with the fee set to be in the region of £17.2m (20m euros). (Florian Plettenberg, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Leeds' performance

What did you make of Everton's display?

Come back to this page on Tuesday to find a selection of your replies

Daniel Farke has given goalkeeper, Lucas Perri his debut in the opening game at Elland Road.

Sean Longstaff starts from the bench alongside Jack Harrison, who was on loan at Everton last season

Leeds starting XI: Perri, Rodon, Struijk, Bogle, Gudmundsson, Ampadu, Tanaka, Stach, James, Gnonto, Piroe.

Substitutes: Darlow, Byram, Longstaff, Aaronson, Harrison, Ramazani, Nmecha, Bornauw and Gruev.

Jack Grealish starts tonight's game from the bench, whilst Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is named in the starting 11.

Everton starting XI: Pickford, Keane, Tarkowski, Beto, Ndiaye, O'Brien, Dewsbury-Hall, Alcaraz, Gueye, Garner, Iroegbunam.

Substitutes: Travers, Tyrer, McNeil, Barry, Chermiti, Grealish, Coleman, Armstrong, Onyango.

Image source, Getty Images

Leeds United defender Jayden Bogle says he has "massively" missed the Elland Road crowd this summer and has been "watching videos of last season" to fill the void, as the newly promoted side gear up to face Everton in their season-opener.

However, manager Daniel Farke says a "late decision" will need to be made on Bogle's fitness as he continues to recover from a hip flexor injury.

Bogle said: "I have missed them massively. Sometimes you find yourself watching videos of last season and building up the excitement to get back to it."

When asked about the difference between the Championship and the Premier League, having previously played for Sheffield United in the top flight, Bogle explained: "The quality of players you're coming up against. Obviously it is the best league in the world, so it is a lot tougher.

"Then you have the intensity and the different styles of play. They are the two main things."

Bogle, 25, also praised Farke for being a "good influence on and off the pitch", adding: "He gave me the freedom to create and get involved going forward last season, but he also made sure I understood that I'm a defender first and that is my main job.

"His style of play is attacking and exciting football, so of course he will still let me get forward, but this is obviously a different league so there will be times when I can't do that. Pre-season has been good for practising and understanding these things.

"Off the pitch, he has taught me about being a leader, As I get older, that's something I want to keep building on as well."

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has admitted there is still work to be done before the transfer window shuts on 1 September.

Leeds United face Everton on Monday night in their opening Premier League fixture after being promoted last season. Newly promoted Sunderland started their campaign off with a promising 3-0 victory over West Ham, whereas Burnley suffered a 3-0 loss to Spurs.

Leeds, who topped the Championship table, will be hoping to follow in Sunderland's footsteps - but it looks like, regardless of Monday's result, there is still more business for the club to conduct in the current window.

Writing in the matchday programme for the fixture against Everton, Farke said: "Overall I'm really happy with the recruitment we have made to date.

"I feel we have a really solid base and the new signings have really integrated well into the group and strengthened us.

"We know there is still more to be done and we certainly won't fall asleep in the market."

The club have already brought in eight new players this summer, spending over £70m.

Leeds boss Daniel Farke is a very underrated manager and his teams always carry a threat, but it is their defence I'm worried about this season.

They will have a real go at Everton under the floodlights and Elland Road is going to be rocking, so this is a tough opening for the Toffees.

I feel sorry for Everton boss David Moyes because he overachieved so much when he took over in January.

That has increased expectation for this season but, although they have managed to bring in Jack Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry, Moyes has not been able to strengthen his squad in the way he wanted.

One of the players who left Everton this summer, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, officially joined Leeds last week.

We know there is a talent in there, he has just had so many injuries. If Calvert-Lewin is able to play, it would not surprise me at all if he scores and gets his new team a point against his old one - wouldn't that be typical?

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport's TV and radio commentators have picked two Leeds United players who will be worth watching out for in the next few months.

Joel Piroe

Age: 26 Position: Striker Country: Netherlands

Guy Mowbray: The very definition of a wildcard, given that he can look like he can do it all AND the total opposite - sometimes within the same game.

I've got a feeling Leeds will have brought in a new striker to start ahead of him before the big kick-off, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him come on as an impact sub to get them a point or two early in the season.

Jaka Bijol

Age: 26 Position: Centre-back Country: Slovenia

Conor McNamara: Leeds' new centre-back from Udinese is a very interesting signing. I've been wondering for a few years now why a Champions League club has not snapped him up.

His one failing seems to be a tendency to mis-time lunging tackles, something he will need to get right in the cut and thrust of the Premier League, but otherwise he appears to have all the attributes - very strong in the air, mobile, and able to ping an accurate long-range pass.

I commentated on several of his games for Slovenia at last summer's Euros in Germany, and he did really well in games against strikers such as Harry Kane, Rasmus Hojlund, Alexander Mitrovic, and Cristiano Ronaldo - none of them scored in their games against Bijol during the tournament.

Read about more players to watch here

Matthew Hobbs - BBC Sport Journalist

Leeds United return to the Premier League for the first time in three years to take on an Everton side hoping to kick on after an impressive end to last season following the return of David Moyes. BBC Sport takes a look at some of the key themes ahead of the opener.

Can Leeds play the same attacking football in Premier League?

Leeds begin the Premier League campaign facing the perennial challenge of a promoted club – will the style of play that earned them promotion from the Championship sustain their challenge in the Premier League?

Daniel Farke's side were attacking and aggressive in the second tier in 2024-25, scoring more goals than any other club.

They also boasted the most possession and were the most effective at pressing opponents high up the pitch, while only Burnley, with the boon of Manchester City signing James Trafford, kept more clean sheets.

Leeds gamble on Calvert-Lewin and Everton lose Branthwaite

Despite Leeds' success last season, Farke has spoken of the need for more Premier League quality in his squad. Everton fans may have afforded themselves a wry smile when Dominic Calvert-Lewin was announced as the Elland Road club's eighth summer signing earlier this week as a free agent, after turning down a contract extension with the Toffees.

The 28-year-old had reportedly been pushing for a move to Manchester United before sacking his agent and his signing is a fascinating one for Leeds.

The injury-plagued Patrick Bamford failed to start a Championship match last season, making 17 appearances as a substitute, and in Calvert-Lewin Leeds have recruited a similar profile of player with a similarly questionable fitness record.

He missed three months of last season and has not scored more than seven Premier League goals in any of the past four campaigns.

Statistically, Calvert-Lewin can be considered the worst finisher of any forward in the top flight. Since the start of 2022-23, he has scored just 12 goals in total from an xG of 25.7 – the biggest under performance of any player during this period (-13.7). Former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is second on this list at -8.5.

However, the fact Calvert-Lewin was offered a new deal by Everton shows he retains value as an effective lone target man and he is capable of occupying defenders – particularly with Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite injured.

The Toffees have won just three of 13 Premier League fixtures (D3, L7) without Branthwaite starting since his debut in 2022-23.

Farke, though, must find a new way in the Premier League. Even if Leeds beat Everton on Monday night in his 50th match in the competition, he would have the lowest win rate of any manager to reach this milestone.

He has won only six of 49 so far.

Will Grealish make Everton debut?

Leeds may also have to contend with Everton's own new attacking threat should loanee Jack Grealish start.

The Blues' sixth summer signing is a marquee one following long-term discussions with Manchester City and such was Jordan Pickford's desire to help get the deal over the line, he was calling his England team-mate from the golf course to check if the move had gone through.

Indeed, Match of the Day commentator Jonathan Pearce picked Grealish as one of his players to watch this campaign. "He remains one of the gifted players and most intriguing personalities in a game that needs characters. It's unfathomable how badly his career stalled at Manchester City," Pearce told BBC Sport.

"But in David Moyes, he has a manager who will believe in his mercurial talents and Everton fans love a crowd pleaser. Whether he plays off the left or in the number 10 role, I believe he'll relish the chance to reignite his career in this loan spell and win his England place back."

Everton's biggest issue last season was scoring goals from open play – they managed just 25 in the Premier League in 2024-25, ranking them 18th of all clubs. Only relegated Southampton and Leicester City scored fewer.

Creativity could also be increased by the £24m signing of midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea, while Everton have also paid Villarreal £27.5m for Thierno Barry.

The 6ft 5in striker was in an elite group of players aged under 23 to score 10 or more goals in Europe's top five leagues last season, sitting alongside the likes of new Manchester United signing Benjamin Sesko, Paris St-Germain's Bradley Barcola and Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike.

Image source, Getty Images

Leeds winger Dan James says the players know it will be a "massive challenge" to stay in the Premier League this season, but is hopeful their "unity" will keep them up.

After a two-year absence, the Whites make their return to the top flight on Monday when they host Everton.

"It's massive because it's the best league in the world. The money spent in the Premier League is unbelievable, and the competition is only getting better every year," James said.

"You look at the past two seasons and the same teams that have gone up have come down. We've just got to believe in ourselves going into every game because it's going be tough.

"We've got the past two years of that unity we have as a team and [we must] take it into the Premier League.

"It is going to be tough and it's going to be be a challenge, but it's one we're all excited for."

Fresh from signing a new contract with the club on Thursday, James will be hoping he can use his form from last term and Premier League experience to help the side this time.

"We want to establish ourselves as a Premier League team," he added.

"I want to contribute to the team as much as I can. I like to hold myself accountable, rather than other people doing it."

We have looked into the age profile of Leeds' players for the 2025-26 season and recorded what percentage of minutes each of them played last campaign.

For the purpose of this exercise, we have deemed those under 24 as youth, between 24 and 30 as in their peak years and anyone over 30 to be a veteran.

The green represents new signings, who naturally did not play, red are those that have since left the club and yellow are all those that remain.

The data shows the Whites have pursued experienced players at a 'peak' age for the new campaign, limiting the chance of young recruits being overawed by the Premier League.

A healthy number of Leeds players featured in over 50% of minutes last season, as seen by how many are in the top half of the chart. That robust quality in the Championship is admirable given the relentless nature of the league and should, in theory, mean they again have a reliable group to call upon this term.

Image source, Getty Images

Leeds United summer signing Jaka Bijol says he "cannot wait to see the fans in the stadium" when Everton visit Elland Road on the opening weekend of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

The 26-year-old defender signed a five-year deal with the newly promoted club, but is suspended from the opener after picking up a red card in his final Serie A match for Udinese.

Bijol said: "It feels good to be here. It has been a good first couple of days - hard ones but good ones, so we keep going from here.

"I've learned so much about this club already in my first week here. I cannot wait to see the fans in the stadium. It's going to be nice, for sure."

When asked what he wants to achieve in his first season at Elland Road, he replied: "I want to take the next step in my career to show myself that I can play at this level and help the team win games.

"I just want to be a consistent player in the Premier League. I want us to show our best performances every week as a team and to get lots of points on the board.

"It was a really successful season for the club [last year]. We have to build on that now and I'm here to help with that. The next step is going to be difficult - we all know it, so we all have to make an extra effort."

Listen to more on BBC Sounds

In a new feature this season, the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet will be bringing you match preview editions.

BBC Radio Leeds' Jonny Buchan and Adam Pope are joined by the Kaiser Chiefs' Simon Rix to look ahead to Everton's trip to Elland Road.

The trio discuss all of the big lines from Daniel Farke's pre-match news conference, covering everything from signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin, to team news, to the Toffees' biggest threats - plus hear some insight into their Fantasy Premier League picks for the opening weekend.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has been speaking to the media before Monday's Premier League game against Everton at Elland Road (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• The weekend will be spent "working" and "preparing the group for an important opener". He added: "We will spend lots of time on the training ground to prepare for it. It is beneficial for us at the minute to have more time on the training pitch, so for that reason we will be focused on our four training sessions."

• A "late decision" will be made on right-back Jayden Bogle, who has been suffering with a hip flexor injury. The defender partly trained on Wednesday and will do so in full on Friday.

• However, new signing Jaka Bijol is definitely unavailable as he is suspended after picking up a red card in his final Serie A match for Udinese.

• Farke is thrilled to have signed Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer: "We are all delighted. As a newly-promoted side, we want to sign players that have already delivered at the top level but are still at a good age and on the way up in their career. These boxes are all ticked."

• However, given "a few doubts" around Calvert-Lewin's injury record and fellow newboy Lukas Nmecha's "problems in the past", the club are not ruling out signing another goalscorer this summer.

• On a "difficult test" against Everton: "They are a really good side and we are respectful of that. We know how difficult it will be to create chances and open them up. We know that from last season. They have also made some ambitious signings this summer."

• On how important Elland Road will be: "We made it our fortress at Championship level. We know it will be difficult to win as many games at this level, but we have to do everything possible to make a fortress out of Elland Road again."

• He described the supporters as "one of the club's biggest assets".

• On whether the approach is to thrive or survive: "Our mindset in each and every game is going to be why we all started football: to win every game. You weren't thinking about the table, money, contracts or survival. You just wanted to go out, play football and be the better side."

• He does feel Leeds are now in the right division: "This club belongs to the Premier League. Everyone is speaking about our potential, calling us a 'sleeping giant'. I think that's true, but if we're being really honest, the club has spent just three years in the top flight over the past 23 years."

• Jack Harrison received some boos after his return from a loan period at Everton, but Farke believes says the supporters' reaction was "normal". He praised the winger's behaviour in pre-season as "top-class", already winning over the staff and players with his attitude.

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Image source, Leeds United

Leeds United have confirmed the signing of striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer.

The former Everton man scored 57 goals in 239 Premier League appearances and has signed a three-year deal at Elland Road.

He is the club's eighth arrival since returning to the top flight and boss Daniel Farke said he will be "supporting the team" in the Whites' season opener against Calvert-Lewin's old club on Monday night.

Image source, Getty Images

Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu believes the club can buck the trend and stay in the Premier League this season.

Leeds secured automatic promotion last season from the Championship to the top flight and have made eight signings this summer focused on physicality and bringing height to the squad.

"We know what we are capable of achieving and we have confidence in that," Ampadu told BBC Radio Leeds.

"No-one is going to roll over and accept what has happened in the past couple of years of teams going up and going back down. We are all going to fight to change that.

"We have worked so hard in the pre-season to get our baseline and our standard. Every day we are improving to do more and be better.

"All the new additions that have been brought in are all very good players and very good people. That has helped the squad.

"All the players here have the most confidence in each other to perform every day in training, and every game to achieve what we want to achieve."

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