System vindication
A lot of Everton fans have been calling for a three-man midfield for a while, and perhaps they will feel somewhat vindicated by what they saw on Tuesday evening.
On multiple occasions over the course of the campaign so far Frank Lampard's side have found themselves outrun and outnumbered in the centre of the park. The hard work of the likes of Alex Iwobi can only go so far to plug the gaps, of course.
The Blues still struggled at times against Leeds United, that isn't in question. The hosts dominated the ball for large periods of the match and on multiple occasions it was a struggle for the visitors to really break out of their own third - however, you could easily put that down to not having a real outlet at the top end of the pitch.
Iwobi was once against fantastic in the centre, this time being allowed to roam forwards a little more. he used that to great effect not just with a clinical through-ball to Anthony Gordon for the opening goal, but also with his off-the-ball efforts in terms of closing down his opponents higher up the pitch.
VERDICT: Farhad Moshiri must deliver on promise as Everton transfer truth leaves Frank Lampard stranded
Amadou Onana was also very strong in that sense, but we'll talk more about him in a little bit. Tom Davies was brought back into the side for this game and it was clear by its end he was tiring and struggling to make a huge impact, but there were certainly a few nice touches and passes that should be remembered.
With the imminent incoming transfer of Idrissa Gueye, who was on a plane while Everton were playing out their match against Leeds, and with the future return of Abdoulaye Doucoure after his injury then surely the Blues will only get better in that area of the pitch.
Another point that has to be made while we're talking about formations, though concerns the defence. Remember when there were many people worried about whether Conor Coady could play in a back two?
Well Lampard clearly had no doubts about it as he didn't hesitate to play the loanee next to James Tarkowski at the heart of the defence - and the pair didn't disappoint. Their leadership qualities were particularly crucial as Everton were able to weather something of a storm and get themselves back in contention for all three points.
For the future, it might well pose Lampard with some interesting questions. How much more comfortable does his side look in that style?
Only he can know that, but there were certainly positive signs to make a note of.
Standout stars
If you're good enough, you're old enough. That simple statement was proven by both Onana and Patterson in what was a hostile environment at Elland Road on Tuesday evening.
The latter has maybe flown under the radar a little bit so far this season as someone who has really grabbed his opportunity with both hands. He only made his Premier League debut against Chelsea, and he's hardly put a foot wrong since.
In the first four matches of the campaign the only thing that you could maybe level at the youngster was that he needed to improve on his defensive work. Perhaps that might have had a couple of supporters raising their eyebrows somewhat as he lined up as a right-back rather than a wing-back on Tuesday.
Nobody needed to worry, though. He was imperious at times.
He made some brilliant recovery tackles to stop Leeds wingers on dangerous attacks, came up with a number of great blocks, and could have even won his side the game after finding himself in space towards the end of the game. He might be disappointed with that particular aspect, but it shouldn't dishearten him too much after a fantastic display.
Meanwhile, in front of him, Onana once again deserves a mention. He told Lampard at half time on Saturday that he wouldn't last 90 minutes in what was a very mature move, but this time around he was given the full game.
And he didn't look out-of-place in the slightest. He got around the pitch amazingly well throughout the game and did very well to stop a number of dangerous Leeds attacks.
At one stage in the second half it seemed as if every 50/50 challenge he went in for, he was winning. On top of that, he was using the ball intelligently to keep Everton in possession in what was the most hectic period of the match.
The 21-year-old is still finding his feet in the Premier League and there may well be performances in the near future that will require patience from supporters to see the bigger picture. But, this was not one of them.
Two young players proved to be two of the most important for Lampard, which can only be a good sign for the future.
Away day Blues
Three draws in a row in the Premier League, four matches unbeaten if you include the League Cup victory over Fleetwood Town. There are positives there, but obvious signs for Everton to improve.
What might well be heartening for Lampard, however, is to see his team battle to some important points away from home. The Blues have not been strong on their travels for a frustratingly long time, and of course many hope that there will be a time those in the away end can celebrate a few more regular victories in the future.
But these two matches in a few days were far from easy. Elland Road particularly has so often proven to be a thorn in the side of many Premier League teams, just look at Chelsea earlier this month.
There were periods throughout both games where it maybe seemed the match was getting away from the visitors, but they stayed organised and stuck together. Maybe last season, Everton would have lost both of those matches.
It might only be a slight positive among many more in terms of individual performances, but perhaps it's one to cling on to for now.
READ NEXT:
