Monday night was a day Leeds United fans will never forget. The club kicked off their Premier League campaign with a win over Everton at Elland Road.
The Whites got their season off to the best of starts, following rigorous pre-season preparations. Leeds started the game like a house on fire, dominating proceedings for large parts of the match.
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Daniel Farke’s side outmatched the toffees for most of the match, but failed to find the net in crucial situations when it counted. It took a late penalty from Lukas Nmecha in the last 10 minutes to seal the game. The incident was given after Everton captain James Tarkowski was deemed to have committed a handball offence. After the game, Tarkowski was unhappy with the decision:
“Not a penalty. As soon as the ref blew I thought it was going to overturned. My first question to him was, if my arm was down by my side, which it was, is it a penalty? He said no.
“I’ve since read that I leaned into the ball. There’s nothing unnatural about my arm being by my side.
“The ball is allowed to hit your arm, it just can’t be away from your body unnaturally, which it wasn’t. I can’t understand it really.
“I really can’t understand it and I’m disappointed.”
QUIZ: Can you name these 10 former Leeds United midfielders?
Update on Leeds United star’s injury
Credit: Imago
Ethan Ampadu was taken off in the 78th minute after heavy collision, he was down for a few minutes being treated by the medics before being replaced by Ilia Gruev. The injury looked quite serious on first look.
Big bruise for Ampadu who will need assessing ahead of Arsenal game #LUFC
— Adam Pope (@apopey) August 18, 2025
Daniel Farke provided an update immediately after the game, saying that it was just a ‘big bruise’ and that he will be assessed ahead of the next game:
“[He’s] alright. We’ll have to assess him, right now it is a big bruise. It’s not ideal, we hope it’s not a big injury. Hopefully it’s not a big injury.” he said speaking to TalkSport’s Sam Matterface.
Club have depth lined up to replace him
Unlike last season where Farke had to move players around to cover injuries in the middle of the park, there is depth this season. Ilia Gruev and Sean Longstaff can step in to play a role when needed.
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