Leeds United 1 Everton 2 - Whites fightback falls short despite Raphinha’s strike

For Leeds United supporters, those comments will continue to chime amid the current dark times with Marcelo Bielsa’s cultured crop busy providing some glorious interludes of light on the club’s return to the big stage.

After a fairly tame first half offering by their immaculate and high attacking standards, Leeds emptied the tank and produced an in-character second-half show as if piqued by events before.

A 48th-minute strike from Raphinha, who showed why he has been one of the most astute signings of the season, provided the catalyst for a second 45 minutes which was governed by Leeds, but unfortunately the damage had been done earlier by way of two sloppy concessions with Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting.

Rightfully feted for their dazzling and beguiling attacking play this season – and such a treat to watch – Leeds’s reputation on their return to the top-flight is unfortunately two-fold.

Their charitable status at the back is also revealing.

Costing a cool £300,000, the playability of the relaid pitch was the subject of pre-match conjecture, with a number of players losing their footing early on.

The main concern in the immediate build-up for Leeds focused on Kalvin Phillips, who looked in discomfort in the warm-up with a hip issue, which saw him treated by the club’s medical team.

Fortunately, it did not prove serious, with the pivot lining up for Leeds, but his main first-half contribution was not welcome.

His pass only found Richarlison, who quickly gave the ball to Andre Gomes, whose sublime pass opened up Leeds on the left before Lucas Digne’s fine low cross was slotted home from close range by Sigurdsson, with captain Liam Cooper and Phillips looking at each other as if to say: ‘It was your man.’

It was a bonus for Sigurdsson, assigned with shadowing Phillips and the Icelander had a major influence before the break.

His corner was flicked on by Ben Godfrey and the unmarked Calvert-Lewin was presented with the sort of easy far-post opportunity that a striker without a goal in seven league matches would have dreamed of.

Calvert-Lewin curled a good chance wide prior to his gift, while for their part, Leeds threatened particularly with their axis down the right in Raphinha and Luke Ayling – with their influence on the left being more subdued.

A picture-book moment infield from Gjanni Alioski, whose technically perfect volley from Raphinha’s corner seriously threatened to be a ‘goal of the season’ contender before rattling the post was their best offering on 20 minutes.

Blues keeper Robin Olsen, who had a good night deputising for Jordan Pickford, also fielded a curler from Mateusz Klich and had to be alert to tip over Pascal Struijk’s header.

Perhaps cajoled by some interval words from Bielsa, Leeds upped the intensity in the second work and soon hit back.

The build-up may have been uncharacteristically scruffy from a Leeds perspective, but the finish was clinical as Raphinha followed up his deadly strike on Merseyside with another sharp low finish as Everton dithered.

With Harrison much more involved, Leeds moved up the gears with Everton somehow surviving an onslaught just after the hour.

Olsen made a terrific instinctive save to somehow keep out Klich’s deflected low strike, which changed direction, with Raphinha’s follow-up blocked.

The Toffees’ No 2 then showed his aplomb to beat away Harrison’s volley, which took a nick off Godfrey, before Patrick Bamford went desperately close when his looping header clipped the crossbar from a pinpoint Dallas cross.

Leeds United: Meslier; Ayling, Struijk, Cooper, Alioski (Hernandez 78); Phillips; Raphinha, Klich (Roberts 69), Dallas, Harrison (Costa 88); Bamford. Substitutes unused: Casilla, Davis, Cresswell, Shackleton, Jenkins, Huggins.

Everton: Olsen; Holgate, Mina, Godfrey, Digne; Doucoure, Gomes; Iwobi (King 87), Sigurdsson (Davies 89), Richarlison (Keane 80); Calvert-Lewin. Substitutes unused: Virginia, Delph, Nkounkou, Rodriguez, Bernard, Coleman.

Referee: M Oliver (Northumberland).

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