Five lessons learned as Leeds United claim a famous 1-0 opening night win over Everton — Leeds United News 18/8/25

Robert McHugh

Leeds United returned to the Premier League with a bang as a late penalty from new signing Lukas Nmecha won the points for Daniel Farke’s side.

Daniel Farke elected against naming the new signing, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, in the first game of the season, and that decision was vindicated as Lukas Nmecha made his mark.

Leeds enjoyed the best of the first half but failed to make their chances count as they wasted a string of set pieces and half-chances.

The Elland Road crowd grew nervy in the second half as Everton grew into the game, before Leeds’ new hero settled the game from 12 yards.

As Leeds earned a statement win in their season opener against Everton, here are five lessons learned from a famous night under the lights at Elland Road.

Ethan Ampadu stands tall in midfield

Leeds enjoyed a bright start to the game as they quickly established control of the ball in the first half, and Ethan Ampadu was crucial to this as he produced an impressive performance.

Speaking at half-time, Jamie Carragher described Ampadu as the best player on the field, having switched back into the centre of midfield to partner Anton Stach and Ao Tanaka.

Having dropped down into the Championship with Leeds, he has found a home at Elland Road after a disrupted start to his career saw him farmed out on a series of loans.

Ampadu proved that he can perform at the highest level in Leeds’ first game against Everton. The Whites’ captain will be delighted with an excellent performance.

Leeds United need to improve from set pieces

Set pieces have been a problem area for Daniel Farke and his Leeds side for several seasons, as the Whites have failed to make their deliveries count.

Leeds pursued a recruitment strategy specifically designed to combat this, bringing in a series of tall players to increase their aerial threat.

However, the evidence of the game against the Toffees suggests this remains a work in progress, as the Elland Road faithful watched their side waste six corners in the first half without success.

Even more baffling was the sight of towering midfielder Stach on corner duty. Leeds need to find a settled corner taker as a matter of urgency, who can deliver quality ball to their towering attackers.

A new hero is born in Lukas Nmecha

Leeds appeared to be drifting towards an opening game draw in the closing minutes of the game as Farke turned to his bench for new options in attack.

He found the hero he needed in Lukas Nmecha, who wrote his name into Elland Road folklore with a nerveless penalty to win the game for Leeds.

Everton may well complain about the validity of the referee’s decision, but Leeds fans will not care after Nmecha rolled the ball into the bottom corner as Pickford dived despairingly to his left.

On a night when the hostile reception for Jack Harrison could have taken the headlines, it is fitting that the Leeds fans have a new hero to salute. What a way to introduce yourself.

Gabriel Gudmundsson enjoys a solid Leeds debut

Three players earned their first start for Leeds as Lucas Perri joined Stach and full-back Gabriel Gudmundsson in the starting line-up.

Leeds’ new left-back had a big role to fill, stepping into the shoes of fan favourite Junior Firpo, and looked solid in his first competitive appearance at Elland Road.

Both Gudmundsson and Jayden Bogle enjoyed a licence to attack in the first half, as they caused problems for the Everton defence with a series of incisive runs in behind.

Everton grew into the game in the second half, and Gudmundsson was forced to do more defensive work, which he handled well. His contribution was key to a brilliant win for the Whites.

Daniel Farke’s side can compete in the Premier League

Having brought in the likes of Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Everton are many people’s outside tips for a strong season in the top flight.

As a result, Leeds can take a lot of heart from their performance in their Premier League opener, as they were more than a match for their opponents.

However, the game also showed exactly why Leeds need to add more cutting edge in attack, as they appeared to run out of ideas in the second half until they stole the points through Nmecha’s brilliant penalty.

On the evidence of this game, Leeds’ defence is good enough to stay up. With links to Noah Okafor gathering pace, Farke now needs the attacking weapons to guarantee a wider margin of victory in the games to come.