Live Blog

Fulltime Thoughts - Encouraging result when you consider the hosts had 70% possession, but a bit of a downer considering Everton had the lead twice, and both Leeds goals came from defensive miscues. Still, a strong and hardworking showing away from home at a raucous Elland Road.

90+4’ - Late cross into the box and Mina does very well to fight off Bamford, and there’s the final whistle, 2-2 the final score.

90+3’ - Leeds throw deep on the Everton right. Delph turnover on the left allows a shot that is blocked by Keane’s midriff, Delph goes sliding in for the rebound and clears. The ref takes a minute to talk to the VAR, play on.

90’ - The last sub will be Moise Kean coming on for DCL.
Doucoure shot, blocked by Cooper and the ricochet goes agonizingly wide! Corner met by Keane, tame and Meslier can save. Argh.
Four minutes added on.

87’ - Coleman finds the ball on his left foot outside the box and unwisely decides to shoot, poor and wide.
Now Everton counter again and Townsend has a chance to shoot, straight at Meslier who gathers.

83’ - Gray is coming off now for Fabian Delph, who played for Leeds United in his long career.

81’ - Everton look happy to hold right now as Leeds are surging forward for the winner. Maybe there will be room for a counter to steal the win, but those two big saves by Meslier are denying the Blues all three points right now.

77’ - Leeds counter and Coleman nudges his man down then kicks the ball away, also into the book.

75’ - Iwobi coming off for Andros Townsend now.
Richarlison has been quiet but pops up now with a chance to shoot, and it’s just wide off the far post.

71’ - Dangerous cross, Digne clears for a corner that is cleared.
Coleman beaten and the cross is sneaking into the top corner, Pickford parries away for another corner that is only partly cleared. Ball falls to Raphinha and into the far corner, what a shot! Level again at Elland Road, 2-2.

69’ - Digne frustrated and throws the ball away after a foul is given against him, easy booking.
Freekick into the box is cleared, Gray then cuts out the next cross for a corner. That is blocked and out for a goalkick.

62’ - Bielsa makes a couple of changes, like-for-like it’s looking like.

58’ - Again! Iwobi just dances past his man and puts DCL into space.. Meslier does very well to save, DCL had to score there.
Digne goes over to take the corner and is holding up an object thrown at him. Richarlison and Mina both get to it, headed well over.

56’ - DCL fouled by Cooper, Digne inswinger into the box, cleared.

53’ - Ooh!! Gray and DCL in a give-and-go, and Gray’s cross from the right is met by DCL, not enough power and Meslier stops it from nutmegging him.
Leeds cross into the box, ball falls to Raphinha and his snapshot is blocked well by Keane.

50’ - GRAY FIRST EVERTON GOAL!! He’s been the best player in Blue on the pitch and sends in a sizzling shot into the far post, 2-1 Everton.

46’ - Leeds get the second half underway, rain still coming down.
Raphinha wins a corner early on off Digne. Taken low and cleared away.
No changes in personnel or formation that we can see.

Halftime Thoughts - Just like last week, it was a tidy half that was undone by one defensive slip-up, once again by Keane. The Blues have threatened going upfront, especially through Gray and Doucoure’s workrate.

45+6’ - There’s the halftime whistle, 1-1 at Elland Road.

45+4’ - Digne fouls Raphinha on the left and Leeds can swing in a freekick. Everton partly clear and Klich runs in to shoot from distance but it’s wayward.

45’ - Ball falls to Alex Iwobi in the box and he hoofs his volley into Row Z. There will be six minutes added on.

42’ - Doucoure shot, saved well for a corner. Ball pings around in the box before Leeds can clear. Bamford was streaking clear and Allan does brilliantly to hunt him down at pace.

41’ - 1-1 now, thanks to Michael Keane showing off twice how slow he is. Beaten by a good ball to Bamford, who lays it off to a breaking Klich and again Keane is left for dead, the midfielder slots home easily one-on-one with Pickford.

38’ - Gray wins a corner off Dallas on the left. Cleared.

36’ - Mina and Bamford have already clashed and now more handbags between the pair in the corner, and now both are booked.

32’ - Raphinha with a curling shot from a central location, wide, though Pickford looked to have it covered.

28’ - It’s a penalty! Cooper is booked, and it will be Calvert-Lewin to take it himself.
Two steps, GOAL!! Slammed into the left corner! Meslier guesses right but can’t get to it, 1-0 Everton.

25’ - Gray with another delightful run down the left and his cross in is just cut out by goalie Ilan Meslier.
Now Lucas Digne with a perfect cross into the box, DCL is about to get to it and is tugged back by Cooper!! Surely a penalty as long as he’s onside!! The ref is now talking with VAR and will be going to the monitor.

23’ - Halfway through the first half and Leeds have had 74% of the possession and five shots, Everton have had three.

16’ - Bamford pressure on Mina wins Leeds the ball in the middle but Everton can finally get the ball back. They launch a quick counter with Demarai Gray showing his marker a clean pair of heels down the right, and his low cross through the box is just a yard ahead of the sliding DCL, so close!

15’ - Luke Ayling shot blocked by Allan, corner for the hosts. Sent to Phillips outside the box and his shot is blocked, another corner from the other side.
Raphinha takes it long, Seamus Coleman clears it.

12’ - Everton started with two up top, and Bielsa has switched to a back three in response, he always likes to have one more centrehalf than opposing strikers on the pitch.
The Blues only out ball has been to Richy so far with mixed success.

9’ - A Leeds shot is partly blocked and dribbles its way to Jordan Pickford.
Now Richarlison has a chance to cut inside and shoot, but it’s blocked by Liam Cooper.

6’ - It’s been all Leeds early on as they are passing the ball quickly and efficiently.

1’ - Underway at Elland Road! 24 seconds in and Abdoulaye Doucoure tries a shot from distance, goes tamely wide.

The lineups are out, and Rafa Benitez has named Yerry Mina and Alex Iwobi in the starting XI. Good depth on the bench with Moise Kean and Jean-Philippe Gbamin back, and Andros Townsend as well.

Looks like Marcelo Bielsa will match Rafa’s 4-2-3-1 with Kalvin Phillips back in the starting lineup.

Preview

Everton and Leeds United ended up with the same number of points last season, having split their season series winning at the other’s home ground, a statistic barely writing about considering most games last season were played with no fans in the grounds.

The Toffees did well last weekend to come from behind against Southampton to hand new manager Rafa Benitez all three points on his debut while today’s hosts Leeds were spanked heavily at Manchester United to start off the season.

For whatever reason, James Rodriguez remains out and looks like he has played his last game for the Toffees (unless Rafa decides to give him minutes at Huddersfield Town on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup). Moise Kean looked to be back so he might feature and Jean-Philippe Gbamin was spotted in training too this week. We’re starting to learn that Benitez likes to play his cards close to his chest with regards to team selection and tactics.

Match Details

Competition: Premier League Matchweek 2

Date and start time: Saturday, August 21st at 7:00 a.m. PT / 10:00 a.m ET / 3:00 p.m. BST

Stadium: Elland Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

Capacity: 37,792

Weather: 63°F/17°C, rain, 93% chance of precipitation, 7 mph winds

How to Watch/Listen

TV: Peacock - United States; N/A - United Kingdom; DAZN - Canada, beIN Sports Premium 2, SuperSport Variety 2 ROA, ESPN2 Sur, RMC Sport 2, Canal+ Sport 4 Afrique

Radio: evertontv, Talksport 2 Radio UK

Live stream: Fubo, NBC Sports App, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Universo Now, Premier Player HD, RMC Sport en direct, ESPN Play Sur, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, DStv Now, RUSH, QQ Sports Live, iQiyi

Gamethread: Live blog above starting one hour before game time

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Information from LiveSoccerTV.com

Lineups

Everton

Starting XI: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Mina, Digne, Allan, Doucoure, Iwobi, Gray, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin

Subs: Begovic, Kenny, Holgate, Delph, Townsend, Gbamin, Davies, Kean, Branthwaite

Leeds United

Starting XI: Meslier, Ayling, Struijk, Cooper, Firpo, Phillips, Dallas, Raphinha, Klich, Harrison, Bamford

Subs: Klaesson, Cody Drameh, C Cresswell, Forshaw, Shackleton, Summerville, Helda Costa, Roberts, Rodrigo

Last Meeting

The Blues enjoyed their last trip to Elland Road, coming away 2-1 winners with no fans in the stands, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin grabbing the winner.