The
'weakest team' remaining in the Champions' League remarkably had one foot
in the semi-finals of the biggest club competition in the world after
destroying Deportivo La Coruna with a display of fearless and high pressure
football.
Deportivo midfielder Victor had claimed before this quarter-final first
leg that Leeds United were the weakest of the eight clubs left in the
competition - but not for the first time in this most remarkable of seasons
a large slice of humble pie was duly eaten.
Leeds had already proven over the course of what manager David O'Leary
had so often hailed as his side's 'wonderful adventure' that they had
no respect for big-name reputations as Barcelona, AC Milan, Lazio and
Anderlecht could testify. All had fallen by the wayside, while Leeds marched
on, playing their flowing game which had seen them becoming quickly feared
on the continent - and they again showed their style against the reigning
La Liga champions. That had been Deportivo's first Spanish title in their
92-year history, with Real Madrid having finished five points adrift in
second. But this was their worst defeat of the season as O'Leary's stars
shone on another European night of glory at Elland Road.
In the four games against Barcelona and Real Madrid in the two previous
group stages, Leeds had lost three and drawn one, giving rise to Victor's
jibes. In the group stages Anderlecht coach Aime Anthuensis had criticised
Leeds after his team's 2-1 defeat at Elland Road in February and provoked
a devastating reaction - Leeds had won 4-1 in the second leg - and Victor
now likewise had done O'Leary's pre-match motivation for him.
In the run in to the game Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale had described
it as the club's most important since the 1975 European Cup final, and
in the pre-match press briefing O'Leary had mused on the prospect of reaching
the last four of the competition, 'I can't believe I'm actually talking
about this.' In the end it was a night to savour for all connected with
the club.
The Leeds team showed one change to the side that had beaten Sunderland
the previous weekend, with Dominic Matteo replacing the injured Lucas
Radebe and record buy Rio Ferdinand captaining the team for the first
time in the absence of the South African. Midfielder Lee Bowyer made another
late dash from his trial in Hull to take his place in the team. The full
line up of Martyn, Mills, Ferdinand, Matteo, Harte, Bowyer, Dacourt, Batty,
Kewell, Smith and Viduka was the one that was to see Leeds so successfully
through the remainder of their season.
Deportivo had to do without two of their Brazilians,
Mauro
Silva and Donato, but were still able to field a formidable side, including
the other Brazilian, Djalminha, just behind Dutch international Roy Makaay
in attack.
Deportivo arrived at Elland Road with a reputation for a composed, patient
passing game and in the opening minutes they underlined such claims as
they stroked the ball around the pitch. They threatened early through
a Romero burst down the left, which was superbly halted by Ferdinand,
and a Djalminha shot from the edge of the area which flew wide of Nigel
Martyn's left hand post.
However, from the moment Ian Harte cracked a swerving 25-yard left-foot
shot which Francisco Molina initially spilled before claiming the ball
at the second attempt, it was all Leeds.
Harte then provided a brilliant 40-yard dipping crossfield ball from
left to right for Lee Bowyer, just inside the area, with the midfielder
looking to become the tournament's outright leading scorer. The 24-year-old
should have added to his tally of six goals, having timed a burst of real
pace to swerve behind Romero after an initial chest trap. A proficient
touch took him away from covering defender Cesar, but goalkeeper Molina
raced out to produce an excellent block at point-blank range.
The Leeds pressure had rattled the Spaniards and it showed. Emerson,
last seen fleeing Middlesbrough, was booked for a foul on Olivier Dacourt,
an offence which ruled him out of the return leg.
Mark Viduka and Alan Smith had been leading the defence from the front,
muscling and hustling their way round the Spaniards. It was Smith's determination
not to relinquish the ball on the edge of the area that led to the opening
goal. Cesar conceded a 24th minute free-kick when he manhandled Smith
to the floor. And Harry Kewell caused enough havoc in the wall to create
an opening for Harte to deliver a vicious left-foot thunderbolt over the
head of the outstretched fingertips of Molina for his eighth goal of the
season and his fourth in Europe. The ball had been delivered with such
power that Molina scarcely moved.
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Leeds never looked back as they tore up the Yorkshire turf. Molina's
immobility had characterised the performance of manager Javier Irureta's
players, as Leeds had stifled their invention with a fierce and relentless
tempo, closing them down and snapping at their heels. Kewell, absent for
many of Leeds' European games, was an ever present threat down the left.
In one sensational move in the opening quarter of an hour, he slid past
one defender, jinked around another and was unlucky to slice the final
shot narrowly over the bar. And Frenchman Olivier Dacourt was rampant
in midfield,
snapping up any remotely loose ball and unleashing a series of sweeping
passes. Both players were involved in Leeds' second goal, which came only
five minutes after the restart.
The score had the best of Leeds stamped all over it. First Viduka hassled
the ball from the Deportivo centre-half, allowing partner Smith to rattle
a raking right-foot shot on goal. Molina just managed to tip the effort
wide. But Leeds won the resulting corner, Dacourt feeding Kewell who hit
a first-time cross right onto the head of Smith. The 21-year-old buried
the ball for his 15th goal of the season, his seventh in Europe, and his
sixth in six matches.
Fittingly, it saw him draw level with former great Peter Lorimer in the
list of the club's leading scorers of European goals. Lorimer scored in
Leeds' previous European Cup quarter-final outing - against Anderlecht
in 1975.
Harte was unlucky not to get his second with a second-half free-kick
which he struck even better than his first-half effort, but the curl of
the ball took it fractionally wide.
Deportivo did not manufacture anything resembling a goalscoring chance
until the 55th minute but Makaay presented Nigel Martyn with an easy save.
But if the Spanish coach hoped that might signal a revival for his shell-shocked
players, he was wrong. Instead, Leeds cranked up the pace even further
before Ferdinand leapt to power home a third goal on the hour mark.
The England defender could not have chosen his moment better to score
his first goal for the club, meeting Kewell's corner with a meaty header.
Second-half sub Valeron could only flick the ball into the path of the
£18million centre-back who headed home his first goal in four years.
Tristan and Walter Pandiani, who both came on in the 71st minute, almost
came close to scoring an away goal in injury time for Deportivo, but Leeds
held on for the vital clean sheet. Martyn had one nasty moment when he
spilled a free-kick. But Dominic Matteo stepped in to clear up the trouble.
It was a fortunate break but if, as the saying goes, you make your own
luck, then Leeds deserved it by the
bucketload.
Manager David O'Leary was delighted with the super show by United and
said afterwards: 'They were all heroes. I only pick the team and they
go out and do it. I'm delighted and so proud for them. We played good
football from the very start. For a young side I thought they showed a
lot of maturity and experience. I'd have been delighted with that result
before the game. I'd have taken 1-0 to be honest, just as long as we didn't
concede an away goal.
'This is possibly the best night in Europe for us this season. But it's
only half-time and the important thing is not to go there and concede
a goal. I've seen leads like these turned round, PSG got beaten there
after leading 3-0 as we know. I know people are jumping on my back for
talking us down all the time.
'We've come a long way but we're a small little club trying to do our
best. Long may the adventure continue.'
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