Robbie Fowler supplied the Christmas punch that brought Leeds United some welcome festive cheer with a hat-trick in only his sixth game for the club since joining from Liverpool for £11 million sterling.
Fowler walked off proudly clutching the match ball but he could have been celebrating an extra goal had he put away a penalty in the 82nd minute. Not that his manager David O'Leary was about to dwell on his striker's shortcomings after Leeds had put their title challenge back on course following their surprising home defeat by Newcastle United at the weekend.
"He's as good as anything you get in this country," said O'Leary. "The price we paid was excellent because he's young, he can only get better and he'll score for many years to come."
Fowler wasted little time in getting off the mark. Bolton's defence was caught cold when David Batty clipped the ball over them and Fowler, in open space on the left, waited for the ball to drop and then nonchalantly drove it across Jussi Jaaskelainen and into the far corner of the goal.
That strike came after just 72 seconds and when he scored again in the 16th minute the game was as good as over. Bolton's defence was caught out once more after Jaaskelainen's poor kick surrendered possession and when Mark Viduka worked the ball through, Fowler killed it easily on his thigh before deftly poking it past the goalkeeper.
Bolton, who seemed to have set out their stall for a repeat of the 0-0 draw at Elland Road in September, could muster little response. After last Sunday's 5-1 trouncing away to Chelsea the last thing they needed was to start without their top-scorer Michael Ricketts, who is troubled by a neck injury.
They were further weakened by the absence of Gudni Bergsson and Ron Wallace, though Leeds were also missing key players. Their own top scorer Harry Kewell has a bad back, Seth Johnson a dead leg and with the defender Danny Mills serving a one-match ban, Jonathan Woodgate made his first start since last January, having in the meantime been convicted of affray for his part in the attack on a student in Leeds city centre.
Woodgate, perhaps buoyed by the offer of a new contract worth £20,000 a week, offered a reminder of what a classy centre-half he is as Leeds managed their first clean sheet in six matches. "Woodgate and Rio Ferdinand can be as good as any defensive partnership in the Premiership," said a contented O'Leary.
Bolton had pinned their hopes on flooding the midfield and leaving Dean Holdsworth on his own up front. But Leeds simply bypassed them and although their front three of Fowler, Viduka and Alan Smith linked only fitfully they looked dangerous whenever they reached the edge of the penalty area.
With Bolton floundering, Leeds progressively took their foot off the gas although Jason Wilcox livened up the travelling support by hitting the post in the 65th minute, Smith putting the rebound over the bar. In the 82nd minute Viduka worked an opening for Lee Bowyer - another Hull crown court defendant considering a new contract, worth £25,000 a week - who was felled by Djibril Diawara. With the Leeds fans behind the goal chanting "Robbie, Robbie" Fowler, rather than the usual penalty-taker Ian Harte, strode up only to screw the ball woefully wide.
No matter. A minute from time Smith's glorious through-ball saw Fowler twist away from Jaaskelainen, turn Diawara inside out and roll the ball into the empty net.
"Rank bad defending, that was the difference today," said Sam Allardyce. But his Bolton side have not won since beating Ipswich on November 18th and are sinking like a stone.
BOLTON: Jaaskelainen, Barness (Southall 85), Whitlow, Diawara, Charlton, Gardner, Frandsen, Warhurst (Johnson 70), Nolan, Farrelly (Pedersen 60), Holdsworth. Subs Not Used: Poole, N'Gotty. Booked: Warhurst.
LEEDS: Martyn, Kelly, Woodgate, Ferdinand, Matteo (Harte 45), Bowyer, Batty, Smith, Bakke (Wilcox 6), Viduka, Fowler. Subs Not Used: Robinson, McPhail, Duberry. Booked: Matteo, Wilcox, Smith. Goals: Fowler 2, 16, 89.
Referee: A Wiley (Burntwood).
