Leeds United need a lot more fight than they showed at Everton to avoid Premier League relegation scrap

Unfortunately, on the occasions when they have been bad, they have been very, very bad.

Saturday was one of those episodes. Coming on the back of another deflating result a few weeks back against a rival side in relegation bother in Newcastle United, it was all the more alarming.

Leeds mustered no shots on target and were anaemic. They were outfought and outmanoeuvred by a relentless Everton.

Their power play bore resemblance to many breakneck openings that Bielsa’s Leeds have delivered with regularity at Elland Road. Less than 72 hours after stepping out at Villa Park, Leeds couldn’t cope on Merseyside.

Supporters of big clubs, which Everton and Leeds most definitely are, recognise that some games are bigger than others and act accordingly.

This match was unquestionably huge for Everton; moreso than for Leeds in truth and it told. The old Goodison favourites were aired before kick-off and parochial Evertonians pumped up the volume to provide the emotional fuel for those in royal blue jerseys.

Every tackle, header and clearance was cheered from the off. Everton won plenty and Frank Lampard, in his first league outing in charge at Goodison, could not have wished for anymore.

Talk of football and the animal world has been rife this week, for the wrong reasons. Here, Everton produced a positive rewind to their ‘Dogs of War’ era under Joe Royle in 1994-95, a time when the Blues staved off relegation and won the FA Cup, to boot. Could history repeat itself?

Everton won races and battles galore with their ferocious tone set from the opening salvos. Leeds never truly recovered, to be fair and were never convincing.

They may have hit the bar twice in the first half, courtesy of sumptuous strikes from Rodrigo, but Everton’s two-goal interval lead was thoroughly merited.

The likes of Anthony Gordon, Alex Iwobi and Jonjoe Kenny excelled. Plenty of others did too as the hosts feasted on a nonexistent Leeds midfield and seemed to cut through at will. Mateusz Klich and Robin Koch were overrun.

A local lad, Kenny got the better of a feted player who had dined out at Everton’s expense on the three times he had previously faced them in Raphinha.

The trickery came from the Liverpudlian, who outwitted his rival with some nifty footwork deep in the first half.

Raphinha exited at half-time and it was nothing to do with injury. A tactical decision, Bielsa confirmed.

It was one of Raphinha’s compatriots who took centre stage.

Richarlison, described by many football pundits as moody, was certainly in the mood, full of drive, heart and running.

When he came off late on, his work done after his drive flew past Ilian Meslier via a slight deflection off Gordon to give Everton a 3-0 lead which was not flattering, he received a standing ovation.

It was also a day when the name of Donny van de Beek, a player who could have been striding out in Leeds white instead of home colours, was also sung.

His dazzling performance will have left Leeds fans wistful after their own club admitted they passed up the chance of signing him last month.

“That is why I moved so quickly to try and get him when I came in,” Lampard said. Indeed.

Everton struck decisively in the January transfer window and it will probably be enough to confirm their status in the top flight, their home since 1954.

Leeds, most likely, should be safe as well. But it might still be a bumpy ride. Good news arrived on Saturday by way of defeats for Watford and Norwich. There was nothing else to hang the hat on.

The Goodison blues started early. Only a last-ditch challenge from Luke Ayling denied Gordon.

The ninth-minute exit of Stuart Dallas suggested the day would not be calm and so it proved.

An opener that had been coming arrived when a polished move saw Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Diego Llorente challenge for van de Beek’s cross at the far post. The ball floated up and Seamus Coleman nodded home – netting his first goal since May 2019.

Majestic in the press, Everton continued to hunt Leeds down and soon doubled their money.

A fine outswinging corner from Gordon was headed home emphatically by Michael Keane, who rose above Koch and Pascal Struijk. Everton would cruise it and a late third added the gloss in front of the Gwladys Street End.

Leeds have conceded 16 goals on four league trips to the north west this season. Their next away game is at Liverpool. Anything resembling a repeat of events at Goodison across Stanley Park does not bear thinking about.

Just Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs up next. Fasten your seatbelts.

Everton: Pickford; Coleman, Holgate, Keane, Kenny, Iwobi, Allan, van de Beek, Gordon (El-Ghazi 81), Calvert-Lewin (Alli 72), Richarlison (Rondon 86). Unused subs: Begovic, Patterson, Townsend, Tosun, Gomes, Branthwaite.

Leeds United: Meslier, Ayling, Llorente, Struijk, Dallas (Hjelde 9), Koch, Klich (Forshaw 45), Raphinha (Roberts 45), Rodrigo, Harrison, James. Unused subs: Klaesson, Bate, Gelhardt, Summerville, Shackleton, Kenneh.