'Should have won' - The two Everton tactical changes that sparked Leeds United comeback after 'sloppy' start
Leeds United went from dominant to dominated during Monday's 1-1 draw at Everton.
An increase in tempo and the winning of midfield battles was key to Everton’s second-half turnaround against Leeds United, according to their midfielder James Garner.
Leeds took a point from the Hill Dickinson Stadium following Monday’s 1-1 draw in a game of two halves. Daniel Farke’s side dominated the opening 45, going ahead just before the half-hour mark when James Justin charged in at the back post to finish Anton Stach’s cross.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin hit the post and Ilia Gruev also came close, with Leeds deserving of more than a one-goal lead at the break. Toffees boss David Moyes made two changes at half-time, bringing on returning pair Kiernan Dewsbury Hall and Jarrad Branthwaite while matching their visitor’s back-three formation.
Leeds went from dominant to dominated, sitting deep and absorbing pressure relatively well until Idrissa Gana Gueye’s 76th-minute cross found Thierno Barry to level. Everton came close to going ahead in the following exchanges but the Whites finished strongly after their own substitutions, Sean Longstaff spurning a chance to put his side back in front.
“We'll have to take the point, and we'll have to move on,” Garner said following the draw. “I think in the first half, we were sloppy. We weren’t quite at the races, so we had to change something in the second half, and the manager did.
“He brought on two subs, and I think you see it in the second half, we were a much better team and probably should have won it. [The manager wanted] just a little bit more tempo.
“We were losing a lot of second balls in midfield, so he changed the formation a little bit. He just wanted an overall better performance going into the second half.”
What did Everton manager David Moyes have to say?
Garner’s post-match reflections were similar to his manager’s, with Moyes also highlighting the difference between first and second halves. Overall, the Toffees boss was happy with the comeback point against a ‘strong, powerful’ Leeds outfit who have now lost just one of their last 10 Premier League games.
"I was pleased that we got something back, we were really poor in the first half," said Moyes. "It was really difficult to put your finger on how and why. We were set up for the game and realised how big a game it was. Got more control in the second half, controlled them more and got a goal from it.
"I think it was a bit of both [matching Leeds' formation and half-time subs]. We couldn't quite contain them as well as I would have liked in the first half, we knew what they would do but didn't make it work. I thought they made a big difference when they came on."
Leeds headed back to West Yorkshire overnight with another good away point to their name, although things don’t get any easier back home. The Whites host Premier League title favourites Arsenal at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon looking to keep intact their six-point gap on 18th-placed West Ham.