Steve Bruce, as expected, restored both Christophe Dugarry and Kenny Cunningham to the starting line-up at the expense of Stern John and Darren Purse respectively. Somewhat more surprisingly, however, was the decision to the bring in Stan Lazaridis for Jeff Kenna, meaning that Damien Johnson switched to right back, with David Dunn moving across to the right hand side of midfield, and Lazaridis occupying his usual left wing role.
The first half was a pretty poor affair, with Leeds having the slightly better chances. Blues had their moments, but in general the likes of Dunn and Dugarry tried to do a little too much, and got caught out. Johnson started slowly in his unaccustomed defensive role, being exploited by the pace of Lamine Sakho, whilst the midfield battle between the Robbie Savage/Stephen Clemence combination against the tenacious Jody Morris and the classy Solamon Olembe was a typically scrappy affair. Indeed, the true stand-out performers of the first half were Cunningham and the excellent Matthew Upson who blocked, tackled, intercepted and headed everything that came at them. Alan Smith twice had shots blocked - once magnificently by Upson - whilst Sakho and Gary Kelly both went close too. At the other end, Dunn was the only Blues player to really test Paul Robinson.
After the break, Leeds began to look like the Leeds of old, and really tore into Blues, with Jermaine Pennant, Sakho and Smith really linking well and at a pace that troubled Blues. Luckily Olembe's shooting accuracy wasn't on a par with that of his passing, whilst Smith wasted a good chance volleying straight at Maik Taylor. Blues gradually managed to claw their way back into the game around the hour mark, though Leeds were still undoubtedly on top.
Everything changed, however, after 78 minutes. Home debutant Roque Junior (of World Cup and Champions League winning fame) brought down Mikael Forssell when the Finn was clean through on goal after a sumptuous Dugarry back heel. Roque Junior had been booked after 5 minutes for a foul on the Frenchman, and Dermot Gallacher brandished a second yellow and subsequent red card. More importantly, the offence brought about a penalty.
Dunn, who hasn't struck a clean penalty yet in Blues colours, grabbed the ball despite Savage's best efforts. Dunn's effort was again poor, with Robinson saving well. However, the referee's assistant flagged that the England 'keeper had strayed from his line, and Gallacher ordered a retake. Dunn was by now happy to hand the responsibilty over to Savage, who duly obliged, finishing well. Dunn couldn't hide his relief when congratulating his team-mate.
Five minutes later, against ten men desperate to get an equaliser, Blues finished their opponents off. A good move between Johnson, Dugarry and Dunn led to Forssell being played in behind the defence, and finishing expertly past Robinson from a tight angle. The Finn had had a quiet game, but won a penalty and scored a goal. How long have Blues fans prayed for a striker like that?
Bruce threw on Aliou Cisse, Olivier Tebily and Clinton Morrison to maintain the lead, but in truth Leeds had lost the heart for the battle by this point, with the fans leaving Elland Road in their droves and the players possibly anticipating post-match discussions with Mr Gallacher more than trying to get themselves back into the contest. Consequently Blues easily held on for an excellent victory.
Again - it may come as a surprise given the result - Blues didn't play that well. However, they came away with a crucial three points, thanks mainly to Savage's midfield tenacity, Forssell's striking instincts, and the excellent pairing of Cunningham and Upson at the back. Still unbeaten, and still without an away goal conceded. Will that change at Old Trafford in the next away game?
PLAYER RATING:
Taylor - Erratic kicking, but solid handling
Johnson - Struggled early on but grew into the game
Clapham - Poor again - worrying form this season
Upson - Magnificent
Cunningham - No surprises that his return led to another clean sheet
Dunn - Tried to do too much at times
Lazaridis - Quiet but effective
Savage - Back to his usual
Clemence - Battled well
Dugarry - Needs more games, but flashes of inspiration
Forssell - Did little, but made the two biggest contributions
SUBS:
Cisse, Tebily, Morrison - All had little time, but played their part given the time.
We're Seventh