Leeds United Beat Everton 1-0: Nmecha Scores Dramatic Victory in Premier League Opener

Liputan6.com, Jakarta Leeds United successfully kicked off the 2025/26 Premier League season on a positive result.

In a tightly contested opening match, Leeds United secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Everton.

The opening match took place at Leeds' proud home, Elland Road Stadium, on Monday, August 18, 2025, at 8:00 PM local time.

This crucial victory was made by Lukas Nmecha's lone goal from a penalty kick in the 84th minute.

The penalty was awarded after a handball incident in the Everton penalty area, which was confirmed by a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.

The victory marked Leeds United's return to the Premier League after being relegated.

The decisive moment in the Leeds United vs. Everton match came in the final minutes of the match.

With the score still goalless, Leeds United were awarded a penalty in the 84th minute.

This decision was made after Anton Stach's shot hit Everton defender James Tarkowski's hand inside the penalty area.

The referee initially failed to see the incident, but after a VAR review, the penalty was awarded.

Lukas Nmecha, who had just come on as a substitute, took on this huge responsibility.

Nmecha calmly converted the penalty, sending the ball into the Everton net.

This goal was especially special for Nmecha, who had just joined Leeds United on a free transfer from Wolfsburg last June.

He scored on his Premier League debut and leading Leeds to a crucial home victory.

In this Leeds United vs. Everton match, Leeds United displayed clear dominance from the start.

As a newly promoted team after winning the Championship with 100 points last season, they appeared confident at Elland Road.

Leeds dominated possession and created numerous chances.

Statistics show Leeds United had 21 shots, far more than Everton's seven.

Furthermore, Leeds also had 55% possession throughout the match.

Leeds manager Daniel Farke stated that this victory was a crucial start and a "truly magical" night for his team.

On the other hand, Everton, under manager David Moyes, appeared less aggressive and struggled to develop their play.

They didn't even have a shot at all in the first half.

Manchester City loanee Jack Grealish made his Everton debut as a substitute in the 71st minute, but made little difference to the game.

🙌 First game, first win! pic.twitter.com/nDX18TMWTh

— Leeds United (@LUFC) August 18, 2025

Leeds United's victory over Everton also set a significant milestone in Premier League history.

This was the third time in Premier League history that two newly promoted teams (Leeds and Sunderland) had won their first match of the season.

This fact demonstrates the strength of the promoted teams at the start of the season.

Prior to this match, no Championship champion in the previous 17 seasons had won their first match in the Premier League in the following season.

Leeds United's achievement broke that negative trend and demonstrated their readiness to compete in the top flight of English football.

This result laid a strong foundation for Leeds United to build momentum.

This opening win sent a positive signal to the fans and the team that they were capable of competing at the highest level.

This was a promising start to Leeds United's 2025/26 Premier League campaign.