HARLEY STREETS AHEAD OF LEEDS
Leeds United 0-1 Chelsea
A 59th-minute
Jon Harley goal gave
Chelsea a precious win
over Leeds United,
avenging the early
season
defeat at Stamford Bridge,
and condemning
the home side to
a second successive Premiership
defeat.
Both teams attacked from the off,
showing the ferocious tackling
typical of this
fixture.
After 10 minutes George Weah had the visitors' first chance. He burst through
from Chris Sutton's direct
ball, but blasted
into the side netting
from the angle.
Leeds hit back
and forced
three corners -
however heroic Chelsea defending
(it will need to be against
Barcelona on Wednesday)
kept the white shirts at bay.
David O'Leary's men had a good chance when the combative
Alan Smith knocked Harry Kewell's
cross goalwards,
but Dutchman Ed De Goey
pushed it out.
Just before
the end of a safety-first half,
Dennis Wise found Weah
with an astute through ball
but his effort
didn't trouble Nigel Martyn
in the Leeds goal.
Chelsea stirred in the second-half
and Harley's curling effort
would have found the corner of the goal
after 54 minutes but for
Martyn's brilliant
fingertip save.
The Yorkshire
side almost broke the deadlock
after 58 minutes, but Ian Harte's
deft free-kick was inches wide, and a minute later the Londoners scored.
Man-of-the-match
Harley, looking every bit as good as Irish international Harte on the opposite side,
accepted a lob from Sutton
and finished with a cheeky
nutmeg
of the England No 2 shot-stopper.
Only in the closing stages did
the normally
physical nature of
encounters
like this
show as Smith was lucky to only be booked
for a rash challenge and a thuggish elbow on Frank Leboeuf, which led to Sutton
then
taking a grip on Stephen McPhail as the players converged. All thoughts of this week's FA fine for a similar brawl against Tottenham was forgotten by Leeds' players, who seemingly wanted to endure their chairman another visit to Lancaster Gate.
The sight of Smith, face contorted
in a volley of abuse at referees
and players, is becoming an all-too-familiar
and unwelcome sight in Premier games.
This once angelic, former Lilleshall-bred
player seems to have
metamorphosised into
a whinger, concentrating
more on getting
opposing players sent off
than improving his goals
per game record.
Ultimately, that will not worry Gianluca Vialli, and his team - unbeaten in the Premiership this year - as their bid for another Champions league place gathers ground.
Leeds: Martyn, Kelly, Woodgate, Radebe, Harte, Bowyer, Bakke,
McPhail, Wilcox (Huckerby 74), Smith, Kewell.
Chelsea: De Goey, Ferrer, Babayaro, Leboeuf, Thome,
Harley (Lambourde 88), Morris, Di Matteo, Wise, Weah, Sutton.
By Darren Steward
Subs Not Used: Haaland, Mills, Jones, Robinson.
Booked: Bowyer, Smith.
Subs Not Used: Hogh, Della Bona, Zola, Cudicini.
Booked: Morris, Sutton.
Goals: Harley 62.
Att: 40,162
Ref: J Winter (Stockton-on-Tees).