Leeds defeated Everton 1-0 at a euphoric Elland Road on Monday, launching their comeback to the Premier League with a contentious late penalty kick from Lukas Nmecha. Before James Tarkowski was brutally ruled to have handled Anton Stach's driving shot, the match seemed to be veering towards a draw. In the 84th minute, Nmecha, who had just played six minutes of his Leeds debut, comfortably shot past Jordan Pickford. "It's not a penalty," Tarkowski told them. "I was fairly certain it would be overturned (by VAR)."
Everton handed a debut to Manchester City loanee Jack Grealish in the second half, but the Toffees were left to rue not posing anything of an attacking threat in the opening 45 minutes. Leeds are aiming to avoid the trend of the past two seasons when all three promoted clubs have been relegated.