Aston Villa's hopes of re-establishing themselves as genuine Premiership title contenders suffered a further setback at Villa Park last night. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink inspired Leeds to victory on a ground where the Yorkshire side had not managed a goal in their previous five visits.
Villa manager John Gregory sprang a surprise by naming Stan Collymore among his substitutes. Only hours earlier Gregory maintained that Collymore was still in a clinic receiving treatment for stress and depression.
However, that surprise was nothing compared with what Leeds had in store for Villa in an opening half which the visitors totally dominated.
Leeds manager David O'Leary opted for three changes, two of them forced on him because of injury to Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate. O'Leary also relegated Alan Smith to the bench and gave a first start to 18-year-old Welsh midfielder Matthew Jones.
The visitors made their superiority count as early as the eighth minute with a fine goal from Hasselbaink. Ian Harte took a quick throw deep in his own half to Hasselbaink, who eased past Riccardo Scimeca, then powered goal-ward as Gareth Barry took chase. But the Dutchman's speed proved too much and the finish was clinical, a right-foot shot from 15 yards beating goalkeeper Michael Oakes.
The Leeds pressure brought further reward in the 32nd minute. Gareth Southgate and Steve Watson combined to fell Willem Korsten only a yard outside the penalty area and the confident Hasselbaink eagerly stepped forward to swerve a precision free kick around the Villa wall and beyond Oakes.
Although Villa displayed more urgency in the second period, the quality of their play still left much to be desired. Collymore was introduced in the 72nd minute, but it was Villa's other substitute, Alan Thompson, who four minutes later gave his side hope, providing the corner for Scimeca to head home from 10 yards.
Aston Villa: Oakes, Wright, Southgate, Watson, Taylor, Merson, Joachim, Dublin (Collymore 72), Barry (Thompson 66), Hendrie, Scimeca. Subs Not Used: Grayson, Samuel, Enckelman. Goals: Scimeca 76.
Leeds: Martyn, Haaland, Radebe, Wetherall, Korsten, Hasselbaink, Hopkin, Halle, Kewell, Harte, Jones (Granville 82). Subs Not Used: Wijnhard, Knarvik, Smith, Robinson. Booked: Hasselbaink. Goals: Hasselbaink 8, 32.
Referee: D Gallagher (Banbury).
