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Fulltime Thoughts - Everton once again underwhelming, not taking advantage of their chances. On defence, while there is a silver lining that they did not concede two again, they certainly gave Leeds enough chances to score. Still lots of work for Ancelotti to do.

Premier League

90+2’ - A frustrated Allan goes sliding in on Phillips and is booked. With just three minutes added on, that should be that.
Defence horrible again and Helder Costa is one-on-one against Pickford, and the England no. 1 saves brilliantly.

87’ - Everton turning the screws up front without really creating any big chances. Leeds almost catch them on the break but Harrison shoots wide, he was offside anyway.

82’ - Ancelotti has made his last sub with Bernard now on with Holgate coming off.
Bernard looks to be in a free role in the middle, shading to the right.

79’ - There’s the goal. Just when things were looking stable, Raphinha brilliantly finds the far corner with Pickford beaten, his shot going through Godfrey’s legs. Leeds lead 1-0.

76’ - Route 1 football almost works. Pickford goalkick, headed down by DCL, James finds Richarlison in space and miskicks that wide. Argh.

75’ - Everton waste a freekick chance from the middle by James, and Leeds set off on a quick counter which Allan cuts out. The Brazilian then charges forward and takes a pop at goal but it’s well-wide.

72’ - Richarlison and James look to have changed sides now.

67’ - Richarlison wins a corner on the left, James swings it in low and it’s cleared.
Now Andre Gomes is coming on for Iwobi. Doucoure has gone out to right wingback with Gomes in the middle.

66’ - Bamford has the ball in the net but the it’s waved off, Alioski was offside and the ball went out too before he could cross into the box.

60’ - Allan has had some joy when he gets behind Phillips and now makes a run at goal, but his shot is deflected onto just the other side of the post for a corner.
DCL rises highest at the back post but jumped too early and heads it wide.
Fabian Delph is the first change, coming on for Davies. He goes into the left wingback position and Iwobi switches to the right where he did so well last week.

55’ - James finds Richarlison wide on the left, but his pass/shot is straight at the goalie.

52’ - Meslier gives away the ball carelessly to James, who turns and tries to chip him, but there’s no power on it. He really should have looked for DCL in the box.

48’ - It takes two Everton defenders to make a block and then Richarlison is away. He finds DCL open on the halfway line for the striker to run at goal, but his finish from the left is poor and he puts it well wide.
Now Klich fires wide and over, and the second half is off to a breathless start like the first ended.

46’ - The second half is underway and almost immediately Calvert-Lewin runs into space on the right and then cuts in and hammers a shot at Meslier from a narrow angle, saved.
The corner from James is cleared.

Halftime Thoughts - Everton’s defensive issues are still front and centre here. Going to a three-man backline didn’t solve anything last week, and doesn’t look any better here either. Offensively Lucas Digne’s width is being missed with both Iwobi and Davies getting pegged back by the Leeds incessant pressure.

Premier League

There’s the halftime whistle, somehow it’s still 0-0!

46+2’ - Shot by Harrison blocked, rebound falls to Klich who curls it an inch wide of the far post.

45’ - Great cross into the Everton box, Harrison climbs higher than Iwobi and heads against the post! Bamford following up hits it wide! Oh my.

44’ - Richarlison again in the box, fires and saved by Meslier again!

42’ - Davies finds DCL, who sets up Richarlison for a 20+ yard shot, saved by Meslier, parried away for a corner.
Curled into the box and Richarlison heads home! Goal! NO! Called off by VAR for osside/obstruction. Argh. Godfrey was in an offside position and blocking Meslier’s view of the ball, so the goal is denied.

41’ - Inadvertent handball at close range by Iwobi in his box, Leeds players want a penalty. Chris Kavanagh is not interested, seems like there is a VAR check that comes back negative.

39’ - James cut down late by Kam Phillips and goes down, he is livid. Dusts himself off to put in a cross into the box, Holgate gets a foot to it and it’s straight at Meslier who saves. Close!

34’ - Ball still pinging about dangerously in the Everton box, crosses and passes coming in from all sides and the Blues look all at sea.

29’ - Raphinha with a good header going goalwards from a deep cross on the right, Pickford does very well to palm it away. Leeds still hovering and a shot from inside the box by Harrison makes it way to the goal and Ben Godfrey clears off the line! The Whites are playing very well, Everton under the cosh here.

25’ - James goal called offside! Marginally offside from a deep cross by Richarlison, with the Colombian controlling beautifully, cutting in and hammering home from a narrow angle. So unfortunate.
Luke Ayling the first in the book today, pulling back and then kicking out at Richarlison trying to break away. James freekick into the box, Keane rises highest but gets under the ball and it’s well over.

21’ - Save! Poor team defending as the players can’t clear the ball out of the area, and it falls to Bamford, who shoots for goal and it takes a wonderful kick save from Pickford to keep things level. Whew.

15’ - Leeds are finding spaces behind the Everton wingbacks with long diagonals, which is spreading out the three-man backline and creating pressure.

13’ - Allan finding plenty of space to run into, and gives it to Richarlison who shoots through a crowd and it’s straight at the goalkeeper.

10’ - Awful giveaway by Mason Holgate in the Leeds half springs a counter and Harrison somehow puts it wide when it would have been easier to score.

9’ - Raphinha offside now. Patrick Bamford has also been caught offside as well as the visitors are passing the ball around very fluently.

6’ - Oh so close! Abdoulaye Doucoure almost makes it two in two! A lovely ball from Dominic Calvert-Lewin finds right wingback Tom Davies who lays off a delightful cross across the box, Doucoure reaches for it and can only prod it to Meslier who saves very well.

3’ - Furious start here for the visitors. First Raphinha gets behind the backline and nudges the ball wide of the onrushing Jordan Pickford, but Michael Keane can clear.

1’ - Leeds get us started after the players take a knee for racial equality.

A minute’s silence and applause for the passing of the late great Diego Maradona. Ancelotti looks visibly emotional, eyes glistening with tears, having played against him a few times. Fellow Argentine Bielsa maintains his stoic face.

Carlo Ancelotti sticks with the three-man backline it looks like with Mason Holgate coming in and Yerry Mina benched after some underwhelming performances. Also looking like Alex Iwobi will play left wingback like Ancelotti alluded to during his presser yesterday and maybe Tom Davies playing as the other wingback?

Preview

Everton got back to winning ways last weekend with an ultimately hardfought 3-2 win at Fulham, and will face another side that was newly-promoted over the summer today. Leeds United however, coached by Marcelo Bielsa, will prove to be a more cerebral challenge for Carlo Ancelotti and his side at Goodison Park.

The news that fans will soon be allowed back into the stadiums in reduced capacities was received warmly, just when supporters were starting to despair that they would not be able to watch any of the ‘20-21 season in person at all.

The three points on Sunday saw the Blue climb to sixth with sixteen total, four off league leaders Tottenham Hotspur. Leeds meanwhile have just one win in their last five games like Everton do, but sit in fifteenth place with eleven points.

The crushing news that Lucas Digne will miss a couple of months after undergoing surgery has hit the Everton family hard, just as they got Richarlison back from suspension and the semblances of a full squad was available in training. It’ll be interesting to see if Ancelotti will keep his three-man backline with wingbacks against Bielsa’s 4-1-4-1 formation.

Match Details

Competition: Premier League Matchday 10

Date and start time: Saturday, November 28th at 9:30 a.m. PT / 12:30 p.m ET / 5:30 p.m. BST

Stadium: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Capacity: 39,572 (behind closed doors)

Weather: 46°F/8°C, cloudy, 13% chance of precipitation, 8 mph winds

How to Watch/Listen

TV: NBC, Telemundo - United States; Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event - United Kingdom; DAZN - Canada, beIN Sports HD 2, SuperSport 3 Africa, RMC Sport 1, Canal+ France

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Information from LiveSoccerTV.com

Lineups

Everton

Starting XI: Pickford, Holgate, Keane, Godfrey, Allan, Davies, Doucoure, Iwobi, Rodriguez, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin

Subs: Lossl, Delph, Sigurdsson, Mina, Tosun, Bernard, Gomes

Leeds United

Starting XI: Meslier, Ayling, Koch, Cooper, Dallas, Phillips, Klich, Raphinha, Alioski, Harrison, Bamford

Subs: Casilla, Paveda-Ocampo, Roberts, Costa, Rodrigo, Struijk, Davis

Last Meeting

The Blues last played the Whites in a preseason friendly in 2015, but the last competitive game the two sides played was even further back in 2012. Everton were eliminated at Elland Road from the Third Round of the League Cup in a 2-1 loss. However, the Toffees have had a much better record at home at Goodison Park, recording a whopping 4-0 win in September 2003 with Steve Watson grabbing a hattrick and current first team coach Duncan Ferguson scoring once.