Key events
15 min: Barry is OK to continue. Beto sits back down on the Everton bench.
14 min: Everton are down to 10 men as Barry receives treatment and Leeds nearly take advantage. A clever flick from Calvert-Lewin releases Stach, who finds Aaronson. An excellent pass finds Bogle on the overlap, but the Leeds wing back takes a touch and allows both Tarkowski and Mykolenko to slide in to take the block! If Bogle had taken a first-time shot, Everton were in trouble.
12 min: A worry for Everton as Barry pulls up and collapses on the ground, clutching his left leg. Beto is sent to warm up.
10 min: Strong start from Leeds, who have been the better side. Aaronson has been particularly lively, floating around in between the lines. Nobody in blue has gotten a hold of him … yet.
8 min: Nearly an opening for Leeds! Calvert-Lewin nearly wriggles free of Everton’s defence to bear down on goal, but O’Brien uses his 6ft6in frame to lean on the Leeds striker, who is put off balance and can only manage a weak toe-poke at Pickford. Good save from the England goalkeeper, who came out quickly there.
6 min: Everton are deep in their own box as Aaronson pulls wide on the left and lays the ball back to Struijk, who blazes wildly over the bar on a rare foray forward from centre-back.
4 min: Jeremy Boyce mentioned pragmatism just before kick-off and I can’t think of any other sides in the Premier League more pragmatic than Everton and Leeds. Lots of balls into the channel, hopeful crosses, battles for the second ball. Everton have certainly bombarded Leeds’ penalty area in these opening minutes with diagonals, long throw-ins and a corner, but the visitors have headed and kicked it away resolutely.
2 min: Ndiaye is straight into the action and cushions a high ball out of the sky like it is a beanbag. Instant control and a mazy run to match to get Everton up the pitch. He’s a special player.
Peeeeeeeeeeep!
We are underway!
The teams are out! Everton in their blue shirts and white shirts, blue socks. Leeds in their famous all-white kit.
There is indeed a minute’s applause for Tommy Wright. There are not many legends bigger than the former full back in these parts.
“Evening Michael, Leeds man/fan here,” writes Jeremy Boyce. “Interesting match tonight. Leeds will want to continue their recent good form with their attack-attack-attack strategy reminiscent of El-Loco’s vintage, albeit with a degree of Farke-ian pragmatism. But tonight they’re up against the ultimate pragmatist in Moyes. A manager who has made his name making silk purses out of sow’s ears, albeit with plenty of mud and bristle attached. For all that, I’m expecting Farke’s boys to come away with something and possibly everything from NotGoodison.”
I’m a neutral but my money is on Everton, for what it is worth. Good luck to both teams.
I enjoyed this on Brenden Aaronson. It could be quite the summer for the USMNT international.
RIP Tommy Wright, whose death was announced last Tuesday.
This is the first Everton game since Wright’s passing, and I would be shocked if the club legend isn’t honoured tonight in some capacity. An FA Cup winner in 1966, league champion in 1970 and regular England international, Wright made 374 appearances for his boyhood club. Born in the Norris Green area of Liverpool, he never played for anyone else but Everton.
“Sometimes it can feel emotionally exhausting to follow a match contested by teams that I immensely like or dislike,” emails Peter Oh. “Every now and then it feels healthy to be able to observe as a neutral without experiencing a spike in blood pressure. This one is a good example. I can just sit back and Ndiaye, I mean, enjoy.”
We are nearing the end of the January transfer window. One move you may have missed is Jack Harrison, who has left Leeds on loan for Fiorentina! Swapping Leeds for Florence is quite the move for the man who can also count Everton as one of his former clubs.
Fiorentina also signed former Leeds winger Manor Solomon this January as they desperately try to fight relegation from the Serie A. You can catch up with all the moves for all the top European leagues, including a nice club-by-club guide, in our snazzy transfer interactive. I have spent more time perusing it than I’d like to admit.
You can also find our women’s transfer interactive, which features every deal in the WSL, NWSL, Liga F, Frauen-Bundesliga, Première Ligue and Serie A Femminile. Wonderful.
Let’s unpick those teams a little.
Not unexpectedly, both Gueye and Ndiaye come straight back into the Everton XI. Rohl can count himself a little unlucky to find himself back on the bench after his Villa heroics, while Barry and McNeil are preferred to Beto and Dibling. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is available again for the first time since 13 December, but is among the subs. As mentioned in the preamble, Grealish is injured. The home side will line up in a 4-2-3-1.
Just as he was in the wins over Derby and Fulham, Darlow gets the nod in net for Leeds. Peek Facundo Buonanotte on the bench for the visitors after his loan move from Brighton – the Argentinian is one of many attacking options available to come on with Piroe, Nmecha, Okafor and Gnonto. Leeds will line up in a 3-5-2, with Bogle and Justin giving the width as the wing backs and Aaronson floating behind Calvert-Lewin.
The teams!
Everton: Pickford, Patterson, Tarkowski, O’Brien, Mykolenko, Gueye, Garner, Ndiaye, Armstrong, McNeil, Barry.
Subs: Travers, Beto, Dibling, Dewsbury-Hall, Coleman, Alcaraz, Branthwaite, Rohl, Aznou.
Leeds: Darlow, Bornauw, Rodon, Struijk, Bogle, Stach, Ampadu, Gruev, Justin, Aaronson, Calvert-Lewin.
Subs: Lucas Perri, Longstaff, Piroe, Nmecha, Okafor, Tanaka, Byram, Gnonto, Buonanotte.
Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire)
Preamble
Welcome to the Jermaine Beckford Derby!
It’s a big night for both of these sides. Everton will go seventh (!) with victory tonight and David Moyes welcomes back both Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye after their Afcon-winning exploits with Senegal. With Jack Grealish injured, Ndiaye will surely be straight back into the XI, but how Moyes judges the rest of his team will be interesting after the excellent away performance to beat title-chasing Aston Villa last time out. Will Merlin Rohl and Harrison Armstrong retain their places? We will have the team news with the answers just after 7pm GMT.
It’s the worst kept secret in Yorkshire but Leeds are on a bit of a tear at the moment. With just one defeat since November in all competitions, Leeds have won their last two matches, the latter secured by a stoppage-time winner from Lukas Nmecha against Fulham. A win for Leeds this evening could take them eight points clear of the drop zone. Oooof.
This is how the Premier League table looks before kick-off:
All eyes will be on Dominic Calvert-Lewin on his return to Everton. The 28-year-old has eight goals in his last 10 games and will be eager to remind the Everton hierarchy what they are missing. I imagine the striker will get a mixed reception at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, in which he has presumably never set foot.
Kick-off: 8pm GMT.
