Blackburn Rovers ... 1 Leeds United ... 0 Grim realisation has finally dawned on one side of the Pennines, and overwhelming relief on the other.
Those Leeds fans who spent much of yesterday hollering about the recent league success over Manchester United were brought down to earth with a bump by this inept display. With the discomforting memory of an anaemic performance fresh in their minds, any prolonged title challenge appears distinctly unlikely this morning.
Beaten by Garry Flitcroft's first goal in 11 months, they even passed up an undeserved route to parity when Alan Smith missed a late penalty. Instead, Rovers were left to savour a first home win of the campaign at the fifth attempt, their success driven by the effervescence of David Dunn and David Thompson in midfield to hoist Graeme Souness's injury depleted side into the top half of the table.
"Thompson should be in the England team in my opinion, and that's only having worked with him for 20 weeks," said the Scot of his £1.5m signing from Coventry City, who needed a late fitness test even to play. That fee may rise by another £1m, but is still a snip.
"He'll be a great player for this club. People have wondered about his size, but he's a proper little Scouser - a strong little bugger, spikey, easily upset and everything I hoped he'd be."
Sven-Goran Eriksson, watching from the stands, must have been impressed with the 25-year-old's bristling display. Following Dunn's lead he was ever eager to terrorise back-peddling defenders, forcing the excellent Paul Robinson into two smart saves from 20 yards and beating him with a vicious, whipped attempt from a similar distance only for the goal to be disallowed for a push in the build-up.
"He can punch his weight at this level," said Souness, who first handed the Liverpool academy graduate the opportunity to train with the first-team while manager at Anfield.
"He takes a great free-kick and sees things early. He should have played for his country by now, and in central midfield. He's easily good enough for that."
"It would be great to have a crack at the senior England team," added Thompson, who has represented his country at every level from Under-16s to Under-21s but slipped somewhat out of the limelight after Gerard Houllier sold him to Coventry two years ago.
"But, first and foremost I want to earn myself a regular place in the Rovers team." That will be no easy feat, with Damien Duff one of a host of regular first-team players - Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole and Matt Jansen included - currently crocked. In their absence Rovers fielded a patched up line-up, with Egil Ostenstad making his first appearance since an FA Cup third- round tie with Barnsley in January.
The Norwegian should have opened the scoring, twice failing to respond in the six-yard box as crosses from the outstanding Keith Gillespie and Thompson flashed across the goal. Both Lucas Neill, with a sliced cross, and Thompson - battering a free-kick at goal which was touched on to the crossbar - later struck the woodwork.
But by then Rovers' lead had been established, though not without controversy. Gillespie chased down the ponderous Ian Harte and, albeit dubiously, dispossessed the Irishman on the touchline. His pull-back found Flitcroft whose shot deflected off Jonathan Woodgate, diving in to block, to loop over Robinson and in.
"As far as I was concerned Harte was fouled in the build-up," sighed Terry Venables, robbed of the services of Harry Kewell on his 24th birthday through illness and left bewildered by his side's uncanny ability to self-destruct.
"There was pushing and shoving originally, but he was actually pulled away from the goal. I think it was a foul, but maybe I would."
In the end the Leeds manager was left to bemoan his team's perpetual inability to raise the their game sufficiently above the sluggish. Only Lee Bowyer and Smith of the starters boasted the zip to unsettle the home defence. Of the rest, Mark Viduka appeared half asleep, his dozy display summed up by a failure to react once Brad Friedel had palmed out Nicky Barmby's close range attempt.
The introduction of the Australian's 19-year-old compatriot Jamie McMaster at least perked the team up, though they barely deserved the parity that threatened when, in the frenzy after the triple substitution, Eirik Bakke crossed with Henning Berg unlucky to handle in the ensuing muddle at the near post. With Harte substituted, Smith took the penalty which Friedel tumbled to his left to claim. The US goalkeeper saved two at the World Cup finals; in contrast, blocking Smith's weak attempt was a doddle.
"We are still trying to find out about each other at the moment," added Venables.
BLACKBURN: Friedel, Neill, Berg, Taylor, Short, Thompson, Flitcroft, Tugay, Dunn (Danns 90), Gillespie, Ostenstad (Grabbi 68). Subs not used: Hignett, Johansson, Kelly. Booked: Neill. Goals: Flitcroft 24.
LEEDS: Robinson, Mills, Woodgate, Radebe, Harte (Kelly 64), Bakke, Dacourt (McPhail 63), Bowyer, Barmby, Viduka (McMaster 63), Smith. Subs not used: Okon, Martyn. Booked: Smith, Barmby.
Referee: G Poll (Hertfordshire).
