Everton and Leeds United played out a 1–1 draw yesterday in a game that felt like two completely different matches stitched together by one swinging half-time change. Leeds were the sharper, braver side before the break and fully deserved to lead through James Justin, but Everton emerged after half-time with a new shape and a different attitude, eventually forcing an equaliser through Thierno Barry and coming closer to a late winner than the visitors did in the closing stages.
Leeds set the tone early by pressing Everton’s build-up and playing with far more fluency in midfield. They repeatedly found space down the right and asked questions with low crosses and quick combinations, while Everton looked disjointed and were booed by sections of the home support as they struggled to get a grip on the contest. The breakthrough arrived on 28 minutes and summed up Leeds’ first-half superiority: a sharp move opened up the flank and Justin arrived to finish neatly from a low ball into the area, giving the visitors a lead that felt inevitable at the time.
Leeds could easily have gone further ahead. They were lively on transitions and created enough to make Everton’s defenders look uncomfortable, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin going close as the visitors continued to threaten whenever the game opened up. Everton, by contrast, produced little of note in the final third in the first half, with their best moments coming more from isolated bursts than sustained pressure.
The match turned on the interval. Everton reappeared with a visible tactical adjustment—switching to a back three and making changes that brought more balance and aggression—and the home side suddenly began to win duels, squeeze Leeds higher up the pitch and attack with more purpose. The improvement wasn’t just in energy; Everton’s passing became quicker and their wide players started receiving the ball in better positions, allowing them to deliver earlier into the box.
The equaliser arrived on 76 minutes and was the reward for that second-half push. Idrissa Gueye worked space for a cross from the right, and Barry—continuing a strong run of form—darted across his marker to steer a clever finish in at the near post. The striker’s celebration said plenty: it was part relief, part belief, and it dragged the stadium into the game. Everton nearly completed the turnaround soon after when Gueye stepped onto a loose ball and crashed an effort against the crossbar, a moment that had the crowd rising in anticipation of a winner.
Leeds steadied themselves late on with substitutions, trying to slow the tempo and regain some of the control they had in the first half. They still carried a counterattacking threat, but clear chances dried up as Everton’s momentum forced them deeper. By the final whistle, the draw felt fair: Leeds were the better side early and deserved their lead, Everton were significantly improved after the restart and arguably finished the stronger.
After the match, Everton boss David Moyes admitted his side’s first-half performance wasn’t good enough, but praised the response and the impact of the half-time tweak, saying the change gave Everton better structure and allowed them to play with more intensity. He also highlighted Barry’s growing confidence and contribution, pointing to the forward’s recent run of goals as evidence that he is starting to settle and deliver in big moments.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke took encouragement from how well his team played before the break, feeling they controlled large parts of the first half and created enough to put the game out of reach. But he also acknowledged that Everton’s second-half improvements changed the picture, and he was left with the familiar frustration that Leeds didn’t make their best spell count with a second goal.
