Leeds United faced Everton in their final pre-season friendly ahead of next week's 2015-16 curtain-raiser against Burnley and fielded a strong outfit against the Premier League side.
Everton, who also have Duncan Ferguson's testimonial on Sunday, were missing several first-team players and went down 2-0 to the Championship side as second-half goals from Alex Mowatt and Chris Wood proved the difference.
Read how it all unfolded at Elland Road with Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates below.
2.31pmAfternoon all! We're half an hour from kickoff at Elland Road as two of English football's biggest clubs, Leeds and Everton, do battle in a pre-season friendly. Let's get straight to the team news...
2.32pmLEEDS XI: Silvestri; Berardi, Bamba, Bellusci Taylor; Adeyemi, Cook, Mowatt; Byram, Doukara; Wood
2.32pmLEEDS SUBS: Turnbull, Coyle, Wootton, Cooper, Phillips, Sloth, Antenucci, Erwin, Morison, Horton
2.33pmStarting with the hosts - Uwe Rosler has named an XI that is very close to the one that he is likely to field for next Saturday's season-opener against Burnley. Summer signing Chris Wood leads the line, while another new addition, Tom Adeyemi, joins promising youngsters Lewis Cook and Alex Mowatt in midfield.
2.35pmEVERTON XI: Joel, Robinson, Pennington, Browning, Jones, McCarthy, Barkley, Oviedo, Dowell, Naismith, Kone
2.35pmEVERTON SUBS: Stanek, Mirallas, Cleverley, Osman, McAleny, Grant, Ledson, Walsh
2.37pmIt's not quite the same story for Everton and Roberto Martinez, who is missing several of his star players for this afternoon's encounter. None of his first-choice back four - Seamus Coleman, John Stones, Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines - are present, while Ross Barkley, James McCarthy and Steven Naismith are the only regular first-teamers present.
2.39pmAaaah, the glorious sight of a football pitch before the season when it is at its lushest best
PHOTOS: Elland Road is ready for #EFC v @LUFC. Sign up to watch LIVE on evertontv: http://t.co/YHRSobeHf5 pic.twitter.com/gfA5LvSPyq
— Everton (@Everton) August 1, 20152.41pmThe main reason that some of Everton's team isn't in the matchday squad today is Duncan Ferguson's testimonial against Villarreal tomorrow. Interestingly, former Toffee Wayne Rooney will line up in blue to pay tribute to 'Big Dunc'.
2.44pmAs you can see from the below tweet, Everton will be in their traditional blue today, while Leeds will be showcasing their new all-yellow away kit. This year's retro, sponsor-less designs by Kappa have gone down very well and you can see why. Lovely stuff.
AWAY KIT | The new #lufc away kit will be available at Elland Road from 9am tomorrow: http://t.co/Bzdshd8vu5 pic.twitter.com/8UmDfN3sia
— Leeds United FC (@LUFC) July 30, 20152.46pmThe four men pictured below, from left to right, are Charlie Taylor, Alex Mowatt, Lewis Cook and Sam Byram - four excellent young players who Leeds have done well so far this summer to keep hold of. If that remains the case come the end of the transfer window, then Leeds could be in for an improved year in the Championship having had several mediocre mid-table finishes in recent years.
2.49pmThis will be the first time in just under three years that the two teams have met. On that occasion, Leeds caused a shock in the League Cup by dumping out Everton 2-1 thanks to goals from Aidy White and Rodolph Austin, two players who left the club this summer.
2.51pmBefore that, the duo were regular opponents in the Premier League until Leeds's relegation in 2004. In fact, if you discount that League Cup win for Leeds in 2012, Everton are unbeaten in five games against the Whites, winning three and conceding just one in that time.
2.54pmLet's take a look at how the two teams have been faring in pre-season so far. Leeds haven't won any of their four games, drawing 1-1 against fellow Yorkshire sides Harrogate Town and York City before going down to German duo Eintracht Frankfurt and Hoffenheim by the same 2-1 scoreline. It would certainly be a boost if they can win today ahead of next Saturday's televised curtain-raiser against Burnley.
2.57pmEverton, meanwhile, have had five games and won four of them, with the only defeat in the final of the Asia Trophy to Arsenal. The Toffees begin their 2015-16 season with a visit from newly-promoted Watford at 3pm next Saturday.
2.59pmPREDICTION: The teams are out on the pitch at Elland Road, so I best make my pre-match prediction. There's a good atmosphere and plenty of people at Elland Road and I'm actually backing the lower-league side to win. They have almost their strongest side out and I think they'll see off Everton 3-1 today.
3pmToday's referee, by the way, is Premier League regular Martin Atkinson.
0 minKICKOFF! Aaaand we're underway at Elland Road.
2 minWood almost goes clean through on goal as Leeds look to counter-attack early. The New Zealand international got his body in front of Browning, but the Everton youngster did well to get back and force his counterpart wide.
3 minUp the other end, Dowell has the first shot on goal after being allowed to dribble right up to the edge of the Leeds area. His left-footed shot is weak and easy for Silvestri to grab off the ground.
6 minCHANCE! Fabulous first touch from Naismith to get the ball out of his feet and away from the defender, but he can't quite qork the ball into a shooting position as Bellusci gets back to put the Scot off.
8 minSHOT! Leeds fans will like that. Wood with a fierce half-volley from 20 yards that Joel parries away low to his right.
10 minIt's a big season for Wood. It never quite worked out for him after a big-money move to Leicester and last season he struggled to make an impact when dropping down to the Championship with Ipswich Town.
© Getty Images
© Getty Images12 minBrilliant, surging, powerful run down the left by Taylor, whose cutback looked destined for Wood until a key interception. The loose ball dropped for Mowatt, but he could only blaze over.
13 minCHANCE! Best chance of the match as Everton open Leeds up far too easily. All Kone has to do is feed Naismith, but he overhits his pass and the Scot is forced wide. Still, he manages a ball across goal that Kone reaches at the back stick and he then finds Dowell who drills a low strike wide.
16 minSol Bamba was a massive hit when he arrived at Leeds last season and the club have done well to secure his services on a permanent deal this summer. He's been very authoratative so far and the home crowd are loving it.
19 minArouna Kone goes down in the box and looks up hopefully to referee Atkinson, who was never going to give a penalty there. Kone's time as an Everton player has been seriously hampered by injury and he will hope to see more regular game time this term.
21 minFirst corner of the game for Leeds and it's a dangerous one as Mowatt's inswinger is just ahead of Bamba's athletic leap.
23 minLeeds's pressure on the ball is really annoying Everton here. The Premier League side aren't having anywhere near as much time as they want and it's really impressing the home fans.
25 minAgain it's Leeds's willingness to win the ball back that earns them a chance to shoot as Adeyemi hassles McCarthy in the middle before picking out Wood. The Kiwi turns sharply but sees his effort blocked.
28 minCLOSE! Leeds are inches from the opening goal as Wood lays the ball off brilliantly to Cook, who then releases Mowatt through the middle. He has options left and right, but is given plenty of space so opts to shoot and his curler flashes just wide with Joel scrambling to get there.
29 minYou would expect someone with Barkley's talent to run the show in a game like today, but he's been careless with a couple of passes and hardly looking like one of England's best young talents.
32 minA bit of a lull in the last few minutes. Everton started quite well, but since the 15-minute mark Leeds have been the side on top. The hosts will want to break the deadlock before the break in just under 15 minutes.
35 minIf Everton find the right pass, they should be able to unlock the Leeds defence, but so far bright runs from Kone, Naismith and Oviedo haven't been found.
36 minSHOT! Oviedo gives Silvestri his first real test of hte match with a low, swerving strike that the Italian comfortably deals with.
38 minHere's some first-half action from Leeds's Twitter feed:
PHOTO | @officialcwood holds off @Everton's Tyias Browning during a goalless first 30 minutes at Elland Road #lufc pic.twitter.com/It9rV4FN0a
— Leeds United FC (@LUFC) August 1, 201539 minEverton's young back four has looked comfortable so far, but Pennington's just made a mistake by gifting Leeds a corner. Fortunately for him, it comes to nothing.
40 minDISALLOWED! Wood slides the ball under Robles and the Leeds fans cheer the opening goal. The big striker was in an offside position when he pounced on Adeyemi's deflected volley, though, so we still await the opener.
42 minBamba has been a real pest from corners so far for Leeds and Mowatt is trying to pick him out every time. The hosts have just had their fifth corner, with Everton again defending it well.
44 minBOOKING! You don't often see bookings in pre-season friendlies, but Byram goes into the book for a nasty, unnecessary challenge on Pennington.
45 minDISALLOWED! Clear push in the back by Browning that Atkinson does well to spot. The ball was then stabbed home and for a moment it looked like Everton had snatched the lead, but Atkinson was pointing for a free kick, not a goal.
45+1 minHALF-TIME: LEEDS 0-0 EVERTON
3.47pm
HT. #lufc 0-0 Everton. A promising half for Uwe Rosler's side at Elland Road but it remains goalless at the break. pic.twitter.com/T9MO3166t0
— Leeds United FC (@LUFC) August 1, 20153.49pmNo goals at the break then :( but it has been a good half of football that Leeds have edged. The Whites have much more intensity than their Premier League opponents but haven't quite been able to find a way through.
3.52pmHighlights from that first half: Wood's play with his back to goal up front for Leeds and the hosts' tenacity on the whole. For Everton, the likes of Barkley and Naismith have been quiet, while the inexperienced defence have done fairly well against Leeds's buzzy attack.
3.55pmWhile we've got some time before the second half, let's take a look at the two clubs' business so far this summer. Everton will start the season with largely the same side that featured in 2014-15. Former loanee Gerard Deulofeu and Tom Cleverley are the two main arrivals, while Sylvain Distin is the only notable exit. Cleverley is on the bench today and should feature at some point.
3.58pmWood is the biggest signing that Leeds have made, forking out over £2m to sign him from Leicester. They've also brought in Bamba and Lee Erwin and goalkeepers Charlie Horton and Ross Turnbull, as well as the loan addition of Adeyemi, who will seemingly play in a holding role to allow the likes of Mowatt to push forward.
4pmIf reports are to be believed, then Rosler will also be signing Stuart Dallas from Brentford at some point this week ahead of the start of the season. Read more on that here.
46 minEVERTON SUBS: As expected, Cleverley comes on with Conor McAleny. McCarthy and Kone the two players taken off. Leeds are unchanged.
46 minKICKOFF! We're back underway at Elland Road.
47 minUnsurprisingly, Cleverley is getting booed by the home fans because of his history with Manchester United, a club that Leeds, and this isn't me exaggerating, hate.
47 minMcAleney makes an early impression with a low centre across the six-yard box that's just begging to be stabbed home. Unfortunately for the visitors, no-one is there to put it in.
49 minInteresting fact - this is a rare chance for Atkinson to referee a match involving Leeds as he is a self-confessed supporter of the club. Apparently the same goes for Chris Foy, who never referees Everton games.
50 minAnother dangerous cross from the right by Jones, who recently signed a new contract with the Toffees. As in the first half, Everton have started better in the second.
53 minExcellent composure in the area by Byram as he feints a shot to get past one man before drilling a low cross-shot into the crowded area that Everton manage to deal with.
55 minThe attendance at Elland Road today is 17,057, 1,734 of whom are Everton fans. Impressive turnout for a pre-season friendly. Hopefully we'll see some goals in the second half.
56 minSAVE! By far the best chance of the match and it's for Everton sub McAleny, who is left unmarked at the back post and tries to head Robinson's cross back across goal into the far corner. You're expecting the net to bulge, but Silvestri does really well to keep it out.
57 minGOAL! LEEDS 1-0 EVERTON (MOWATT)
57 minA goal, yay! And a good one too as Leeds youngsters Mowatt and Byram play a quick one-two to cut open the Everton defence.
60 minAlthough Everton started the second half well, it's hard to say that Leeds don't deserve the lead after an excellent first half. Mowatt and Byram are two of the Leeds's brightest prospect and the way that they linked up for the goal was impressive.
63 minIt's been very quiet since the goal at Elland Road. Leeds aren't as keen to press like they were in the first half and they'd certainly take a 1-0 win if they're not troubled from here.
67 minWood again impresses with his back to goal, holding off a challenge before spinning and floating the ball into the path of Byram down the right. He takes the ball well in his stride, but is a little wide and tries an audacious lob that Joel safely watches over the bar.
69 minOviedo produces wicked cross from the left that Silvestri feels is too strong so punches it clear instead of catching it.
69 minCHANCE! Great chance for Everton to equalise as Naismith gets the ball in the centre of the box. He feints to get one defender on the floor but then tries to roll in McAleny instead of shooting and overhits the pass. Poor.
70 minLEEDS SUB: The hosts make their first change as Cook is replaced by another youngster, Kalvin Phillips.
72 minLEEDS SUB: Another change for Leeds, with Doukara off and summer signing Lee Erwin on.
74 minHere's Mowatt putting the home side in front in the 57th minute:
PHOTO | @alex_mowatt slots beyond @Everton's Joel Robles to open the scoring at Elland Road #lufc pic.twitter.com/y9m0gt9UFl
— Leeds United FC (@LUFC) August 1, 201576 minEVERTON SUBS: A pair of changes for the visitors, with Ryan Ledson and Kevin Mirallas on for Naismith and Barkley. The latter was the biggest disappointment today. He didn't look bothered at all.
80 minGOAL! LEEDS 2-0 EVERTON (WOOD)
80 minIt's the Kiwi's last action of the match as he has a pop at goal from 25 yards and sees his effort take a lucky deflection and loop over the helpless Joel. That should be game over.
81 minLEEDS SUBS: Goalscorers Wood and Mowatt off, along with Adeyemi. Mirco Antenucci, Scott Wootton and Steve Morison on.
82 minSTREAKER ALERT! That's one way to liven up a pre-season game of few chances.
86 minMorison with a half-chance from a corner to make it three for Leeds but he can only head over the top.
88 minRobinson, one of Everton's better players, tries to get the Toffees on the board with a strike from distance. It takes a similar deflection to Wood's effort, but doesn't get the same luck as the Leeds man as it dips wide.
90 minCHANCE! It's almost three for Leeds in the final minute as Erwin does really well at the back post to bring the ball down and beat a man before crossing low for Morison. The striker is only four or five yards out, but he can't dig out a shot as the Everton defence swarm on him and manage to clear.
90+1 minTwo minutes added on at Elland Road.
90+3 minFULL-TIME: LEEDS 2-0 EVERTON
4.51pm
FT. #lufc 2-0 Everton. Pre-season ends with a fine win at Elland Road thanks to goals from Alex Mowatt & Chris Wood! pic.twitter.com/IIJupH6yWg
— Leeds United FC (@LUFC) August 1, 20154.53pmI predicted a 3-1 win for the hosts before the match and I got the two-goal margin right as Leeds overcome Premier League opposition in Everton at Elland Road. The goals arrived after half time from Mowatt and Wood and you have to say that Leeds deserved the win.
4.55pmOf course, it's only pre-season, so too much shouldn't be made of this result. Everton fielded an inexperienced back four full of youngsters and their senior players like Barkley and Naismith didn't seem to up for a tough battle against what was a keen Leeds outfit.
4.56pmThis will certainly give Leeds a boost, though, ahead of next week's season-opener against Burnley as it is their first win of pre-season.
4.57pmThanks for joining us on SM this afternoon. Click here for more pre-season action as Liverpool take on HJK Helsinki and make sure you join us next weekend for the big kickoff! Until next time, good evening!
