There is plenty of hype on social media surrounding a handful of individual Leeds United stars but Gary McAllister was particularly encouraged by one of Daniel Farke’s new signings.
Lucas Perri kept a clean sheet and looked incredibly assured, catching crosses and clearing when needed. The Brazilian made an excellent save to deny Carlos Alcaraz at the near post, quickly down to his right.
At left-back, Gabriel Gudmundsson was superb both defensively and going forward and actually, the stats show Gudmundsson was Leeds’ best player on the night. FotMob awarded Gudmundsson a rating of 8.1.
Lukas Nmecha came off the bench to score and Sean Longstaff also made his debut. But if there was one Leeds recruit that caught the eye, it was Anton Stach. As expected, the midfielder was all over the pitch.
Gary McAllister encouraged by something Anton Stach was doing
Leeds fans have already fallen in love with Germany star Stach. Whether it be Stach’s bizarre posts on Instagram or his ability, shown in his goal against Milan, Stach looks set to be a crucial player for Leeds.
Indeed, Stach is Leeds’ most-expensive signing of the summer at £19.9m. That will remain even after Noah Okafor, with a deal to lure Okafor to Leeds now complete. McAllister was impressed by the German.
On Premier League TV, former Leeds captain and manager McAllister identified something Stach was doing that he termed “very encouraging” and it resulted in Leeds winning the penalty on Monday night.
“The encouraging thing for Daniel Farke and Leeds United, was that Stach had three or four pops from distance. Very encouraging to see a midfielder shoot from distance, because that’s what happens.
“You might get a little ricochet, you might get lucky, you might get an armball. You make your own luck,” McAllister said when discussing Stach’s shots, a couple of which tested Jordan Pickford in Everton’s goal.
Anton Stach’s stats as Leeds United earn win v Everton
As many pundits have already said, Elland Road will need to be a fortress for Leeds this season if The Whites are to stand a chance of survival. It was certainly that on Monday night, as Leeds dominated.
The first half was all Leeds and in the second, the Whites still had the best chances. It is not going to be like that in every match, but Leeds have to take advantage when it is, and Stach will be central to that.
Anton Stach’s stats as Leeds beat Everton:
- 90 minutes played, 8.0 FotMob rating (second best behind Gudmundsson)
- XG+XA: 0.56 (best on the pitch), 9 defensive contributions
- Four shots, one on target, 3 touches in Everton box
- 86 touches (most on pitch), 48 successful passes, 59 attempted
- 4 chances created, 6 passes into final third
- 9 defensive contributions (most for Leeds), 3 recoveries, 5 clearances
- 10 duels, five won, 11.7km covered (most on pitch)
While there could be some changes to face Arsenal on Saturday evening, there is no doubt that barring any surprise injury, Stach will be one of the first names on the team sheet to take on The Gunners.
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