One of the Premier League’s most eye-catching fixtures this weekend sees Everton take on Leeds – live on talkSPORT.
The Toffees made a very fast start to the season having won their first four league matches, while Leeds have earned plenty of admirers for their exciting brand of football.
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Both sides have managerial titans in their ranks too with Carlo Ancelotti at Everton and Marcelo Bielsa in charge of Leeds.
And although the Toffees and the Whites have dropped off somewhat in recent matches, the clash at Goodison Park, which you can listen to LIVE on talkSPORT, promises to be an entertaining one.
They’ve faced each other 116 times but their last league meeting came in April 2004 as Leeds were absent from the top flight for 16 years.
The Elland Road contest finished 1-1 with the two scorers names you will be very familiar with – Wayne Rooney and James Milner.
So ahead of the latest Everton vs Leeds instalment, talkSPORT.com has taken a trip down memory lane to look back at the clash, as well as what the two clubs, plus Rooney and Milner have done since.
What happened in the match?
Although Everton spent the majority of the season in the bottom half of the table and actually finished one place above the relegation zone in 2003/04, there was far more riding on it for Leeds.
They needed every possible point they could get and weren’t helped as they fell behind on 13 minutes when Rooney’s effort went through a crowd and into the bottom corner.
Leeds rallied though and equalised thanks to Milner’s left-footed effort just after the break. The home side peppered Everton’s goal but former player Nigel Martyn put on an inspired display as the two sides shared the spoils.
A bad result for Leeds, who were subsequently relegated from the top flight.
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What happened to Everton and Leeds
As mentioned, the Toffees finished in 17th but were six points clear of Leeds and 18th-placed Leicester so were more comfortable than their position in the table would suggest.
And despite selling Rooney to Manchester United that summer, David Moyes’ side came on leaps and bounds the following season as they qualified for the Champions League play-off rounds, pipping rivals Liverpool to fourth place.
However, a defeat by Villarreal denied the Toffees a place in the Champions League proper and the years since have been fairly uneventful.
They made it to the Europa League on a few occasions but never did that much, one stint off the back of reaching the FA Cup final in 2009.
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Everton haven’t added to their trophy haul since an FA Cup in 1995. However, this Ancelotti side, backed by the ambitious Farhad Moshiri, who boasts James Rodriguez, Richarlison, Allan and an in-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be going places.
As for Leeds, things have seldom been uneventful over the past 16 years for them, with plenty of setbacks before they achieved the holy grail of promotion back into the Premier League.
Having narrowly avoided liquidation while still in the Premier League, Leeds suffered relegation to League One, administration, multiple play-off heartbreaks, promotion, more awful ownership, and countless managerial sackings before they finally achieved some stability when Andrea Radrizzani took control of the club in May 2017.
Bielsa is the one who’s taken them up and his primary task now is to make sure Leeds finish above at least three teams in the top flight this season.
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What happened to Wayne Rooney and James Milner?
The scorers subsequently left their respective local clubs and went onto have stellar careers.
At Man United, Rooney won five Premier League titles, three League Cups, an FA Cup and a Champions League winners’ medal.
He also scooped up a number of individual accolades, including PFA Player and Young Player of the Year, while also becoming United and England’s all-time record goalscorer.
Rooney is now looking after the Derby team on an interim basis as he continues to earn his coaching stripes.
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Milner got a move to Newcastle after Leeds’ relegation, spending four years at St James’ Park before going to Aston Villa, where he enhanced his reputation as someone who could be relied on.
His career really took off when he moved to Manchester City in 2010, winning two Premier Leagues an FA Cup and a League Cup in his five years there.
He then joined Liverpool where he’s helped Jurgen Klopp build them into one of the world’s top sides, winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in 2019 before delivering the trophy all Reds fans were desperate for last season, the Premier League.
There’s even a door named after him at the club’s new training ground!
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Listen to full commentary of Everton vs Leeds LIVE on talkSPORT on Saturday, kick-off 5:30pm
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