Date: Saturday, 19^th December 1970.

Venue: Goodison Park, Liverpool.

Competition: First Division.

Score: Everton 0 Leeds United 1.

Scorers: Everton: Nil. Leeds United: Charlton.

Attendance: 47,393.

Teams:

Everton: Rankin; Wright, H. Newton; Kendall, Kenyon, Harvey; Whittle, Ball, Royle, Hurst, Morrisey.

Leeds United: Sprake; Reaney, Cooper; Bremner, Charlton, Hunter; Lorimer, Clarke (Bates), Jones, Giles, Madeley.

Referee: D. Turner (Cannock).

When United visited Goodison Park, rather than a repeat of the exciting encounter which had kept the crowd on the edge of their seat in United’s first home game of the season, when Everton were in the first stages of defending their title, it was played between United, who were very much in the running for the title once more and a much changed Everton line-up which had given up all pretence of retaining their crown.

Gordon West had been deposed in goal by Andy Rankin, after having a nightmare of a European Cup game against the Icelandic team Keflavik. Keith Newton had lost his place at left-back to Henry Newton, who had cost Everton £150,000 from Nottingham Forest. Brian Labone was seen to have been over the hill and replaced by Roger Kenyon, ten years his junior, at centre-half. Sandy Brown had given way to the young Colin Harvey, while Alan Whittle had replaced Jimmy Husband on the right flank. Conversely, United were still the usual, ‘tried and true’ classical Leeds formation, with Paul Madeley on the left of midfield in place of the injured Eddie Gray.

When play got under way it became apparent that tempers were going to fray and thoughts flashed back to their clash in 1964 when the newly promoted Leeds, spearheaded by Bobby Collins, clashed violently with the established Everton team and the sparks flew to the extent that the referee took the players from the pitch to cool them down. The tally of fouls rose and at the end of the game they had amounted to forty free-kicks and three names, Norman Hunter and Mick Jones of Leeds, and Alan Whittle of Everton had gone into the referee’s notebook. The disappointed 47,000 crowd reacted to the match, which had fallen well below their expectations, by booing and slow-handclapping the two teams.

Some players did rise above the mediocrity and in the main were in the Leeds colours, with Billy Bremner immaculate in everything he did, Jack Charlton who was dominant in defence and in the air, Gary Sprake who was safe and assured between the posts and Johnny Giles who took the eye in midfield where Everton’s key-men, Alan Ball and Colin Harvey, were in less scintillating mood. Everton applied plenty of pressure, but Leeds were able to soak it up and gave as good as they got. More in fact, for it was Jack Charlton who struck the vital blow to gave them the lead as early as the tenth minute.

Three times Mick Jones had sought to put the ball past Andy Rankin, but his efforts had ended in failure. Then Leeds gained their first corner, and when the ball came loose on the edge of the penalty area, Johnny Giles was there, alert to the chance. He slipped the ball out to Peter Lorimer on the right wing, and he crossed for Mick Jones to head the ball down and in the twinkling of an eye Jack Charlton had the ball in the net. So Leeds recorded their first double of the season.