Emotions run high in battle of big brains
Bielsa and Benitez put on a show for fans
SOME 6,314 days on from the last time Elland Road fully opened its doors for a Premier League match, the Leeds faithful were served a reminder of why this is the mostwatched league in the world.
When a full house previously watched top-flight football in this city in May 2004, it was an end-toend 3-3 draw with Charlton with relegation already confirmed.
The mood yesterday was much better than that sombre day but the box-office, up-and-down nature of the Premier League was like the Leeds fans had never been away.
Supporters marked the occasion by paying tribute to legends lost in the past 18 months — Jack Charlton, Norman Hunter and Peter Lorimer to name just three — before moving on to salute their new heroes, led by visionary coach Marcelo Bielsa.
The occasion felt like a promotion party and coming-home celebration at the same time. But the 36,000-plus fans of the West Yorkshire club who had been locked out by Covid last season were soon silenced by the dancing feet of a lad from South Yorkshire.
Sheffield-born Dominic CalvertLewin, a boyhood Blades fan, opened the scoring from the spot then brought out his best moves as he danced in front of the Leeds supporters, while gesturing a ‘shush’.
Mateusz Klich soon levelled for Leeds, who twice came from behind in a four-goal thriller, with Raphinha later cancelling out Demarai Gray’s second-half goal.
This was a game rich in entertainment. It was the clash of two managerial masterminds, Bielsa and Rafael Benitez. It was also the battle of two high-scoring England forwards, Patrick Bamford and Calvert-Lewin.
And most of all, it was a typical Premier League match full of twists, dazzling individual displays and intriguing sub-plots.
Backed by the raucous crowd celebrating every crunching tackle and interception as if it was a goal, Leeds started on the front foot but lacked composure, firing a number of shots sailing wide of Jordan Pickford’s goal.
Leeds’ performance was worlds away from their 5-1 drubbing at Old Trafford last weekend, but they were soon frustrated by a debatable penalty decision that saw Everton take the lead.
Gray fizzed a cross into CalvertLewin, who was wrestled to the deck by Scotland international Liam Cooper.
Play was allowed to continue and, after an injury stoppage, the screen finally signalled a VAR check nearly three minutes later.
Referee Darren England strolled over to the monitor and, after much deliberation, pointed to the spot.
It looked like Cooper did pull Calvert-Lewin to the floor. On slowmo replays, it was not so clear. So credit to England — it certainly took some guts to point to the spot in front of this emotionally charged stadium. Calvert-Lewin slotted hard and low to Illan Meslier’s right and proceeded on his best celebration routine while eyeing up the home fans.
Leeds responded positively and equalised just 10 minutes later after a great counter-attack led by Bamford, who strode forward and picked out Klich.
The Poland midfielder took the ball in his stride and produced a composed finish to slot past Pickford for 1-1 and release Elland Road into pandemonium.
But Everton took less than five minutes of the second half to regain their lead, via new boy Gray, who signed from Bayer Leverkusen.
The Englishman was slotted in by Abdoulaye Doucoure and eventually got the ball under control after a poor first touch, before firing across goal into the bottom corner with his left foot.
Gray continued to dazzle and was Everton’s best creative outlet. After breaking through at Birmingham, the winger failed to seriously assert himself in Leicester’s starting XI.
Now 25, it is time Gray matures as a player. On evidence here, he is doing just that.
He drove at the Leeds defence every time he had the ball, and his first thought seemed to be, ‘Can I pick out Calvert-Lewin?’.
Time and again he did it, but the England forward squandered a string of chances, shooting straight at Meslier twice from close range.
But this was positive football. To say the Everton fans were beginning to fall for Benitez would be a stretch, but they were certainly starting to slowly warm to their new manager.
Before the away end could bring his name to their lips in song, Leeds were back level, through a venomous Raphinha strike.
Leeds fans tried to roar their side to victory — it wasn’t to be.
But 17 years on from that 3-3 draw with Charlton, Premier League football is truly back in Leeds.
Not much has changed, apart from the chants of ‘VAR, VAR, VAR!’ as the home fans failed in an appeal for a late penalty.
If last season is anything to go by, there will be plenty more crackers at Elland Road this season.