Three things Daniel Farke got right as Leeds United beat Everton 1-0 at Elland Road

Leeds United are off the mark in the Premier League after beating Everton 1-0 at Elland Road on Monday night.

The first ‘Monday Night Football’ of the season saw Leeds United play host to Everton at Elland Road.

Leeds clinched promotion back to the Premier League last season, and fans created quite the atmosphere as Everton visited West Yorkshire.

The Whites were the better team for much of the game, but looked to be heading towards a 0-0 stalemate.

The game turned on a contentious penalty decision, with James Tarkowski harshly penalised for handball.

Leeds summer signing Lukas Nmecha stepped up to score from the spot, firing beyond Jordan Pickford to send Elland Road wild.

Daniel Farke can be pleased with his night’s work, making some key decisions to help Leeds secure the win.

READ MORE: Step aside Jack Grealish, 72-touch Leeds United ace simply ‘ran the game’ in Everton clash

Going for the win

Leeds exerted a lot of energy in the first hour, attempting to break down an Everton defence as the Toffees lived a charmed life at times.

Farke didn’t settle for a point, though, and made the first change by bringing on Brenden Aaronson to replace Wilfried Gnonto.

The attacking changes kept coming as Lukas Nmecha replaced Joel Piroe and Jack Harrison came on for Daniel James.

Farke could have settled for a point, but he injected fresh energy into his attack with three changes to try and keep Everton on the back foot.

That paid off handsomely, with Nmecha stepping up to score the winning goal and secure all three points.

Farke may have been tempted to go with new signing Sean Longstaff in midfield, or deploy a number 10 to really attack Everton.

Brenden Aaronson could have slotted into that role, but Farke went with a midfield three of Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka and Anton Stach.

Stach certainly imposed himself on the game, racking up four key passes, four duels won and five ball recoveries.

The German was all-action in midfield and certainly justified Farke’s decision to bring him into an established midfield alongside Ampadu and Tanaka.

Not all Leeds fans are particularly happy to see Jack Harrison back at the club after two loan spells away, ironically at Everton.

Some fans even booed Harrison as he returned in a Leeds shirt, but he made an impact down the left flank.

Harrison posed a threat against tired Everton legs and put a couple of dangerous crosses into the box.

Farke may have been minded to keep Harrison out of the firing line, but he took a chance on the winger and saw an encouraging display.