A cross from Dan James was met by Piroe but O’Brien scrambled it away. The first quarter of the match had passed with Everton not getting a touch in the Leeds box. That finally changes in the 29th minute when Alcaraz broke into the box but the Leeds keeper was there to snuff out the chance.

Leeds United edged past Everton 1-0 in the final match of the 2025-26 Premier League season’s opening weekend. Lukas Nmecha rolled home a late penalty (84’) after James Tarkowski was adjudged to have handled it inside the box.

Preview the matchup between Leeds United and Everton FC with predictions, odds, over/under, betting lines and more.

Leeds were promoted as Championship winners last season, while Everton finished 13th in the Premier League. Each club added eight new faces to their respective roster since last season as Leeds looks to maintain status in England’s top flight and Everton looks to at a minimum to crack the Top 10.

It’s in memory of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva who sadly passed away in a car accident over the summer. Every game in Matchday 1 of the 2025–26 season will be marked with the same rituals: players wearing black armbands, a minute’s silence before kick-off and tribute messages on the screens.

Leeds’ win over Everton was settled by a late penalty that sparked fierce debate, with managers and pundits split on whether the decision was correct.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has swapped Everton for Leeds this summer and could make his Leeds debut tonight against his former club. They have been busy in the transfer market, bringing in the likes of Sean Longstaff, Lucas Perri and Anton Stach.

Noah Okafor's move from AC Milan to Leeds United on Thursday, worth a reported £18 million ($24 million), means English Premier League clubs have spent more than the previous record in a single transfer window.