After Everton were beaten 3-1 by Newcastle in midweek, Leeds United hoped to unsettle Frank Lampard's side at Goodison Park on Saturday. The feeling was that a fast start and some forced errors from Everton's back line could turn the crowd early and swing the atmosphere in Leeds' favour but in reality, the match played out in the opposite fashion.
Instead, the home side set the tone, flying out of the blocks and putting Leeds pressing Leeds high in build-up. This lead to a big chance for Anthony Gordon in the first few moments of the game after an error from Robin Koch. Luke Ayling was on hand to make the tackle but the home side's tails were up and they scored within the first ten minutes before going on to a 3-0 victory. In truth Leeds never looked like hurting Everton, aside from two long-range efforts from Rodrigo which hit the crossbar.
Speaking after the game, Lampard called the performance 'very special' and praised Leeds as a 'fantastic team' that Everton had to find a new level to defeat.
"Incredible afternoon. We know the opposition, fantastic team. Anybody who watched them midweek against Villa – what a side. What we did today was something special," Lampard told BBC Sport.
He also explained that the way Everton started the game was his plan but it wasn't to end with a first start:
"We had a plan today. You’ve got to be very solid against Leeds because they keep going.
"The constant pressure we put Leeds under - who I keep saying are a great team – made me very happy."
The defeat for Leeds means that Everton are now just one point behind them in 16th place with a game in hand over the Whites.
