Leeds United ... 2 Birmingham City ... 0: Leeds United extended their resurgence to 13 points from five games yesterday when they brushed off a modest challenge by Birmingham, who look wobbly themselves now after reaching their mid-season points target bullishly ahead of schedule.
Leeds were not always convincing and Birmingham had ample opportunity to cancel out Eirik Bakke's early goal, but once Mark Viduka made it 2-0 midway through the second half the outcome was not in doubt.
Leeds came into the match with the same level of optimism that proved unfounded a year ago. Then they went top of the Premiership on New Year's Day and dreamed of titles and Europe. This time their buoyancy merely reflected the rediscovery of confidence.
In particular, it lay in the discovery of a 16-year-old diamond in James Milner, scorer in each of his last two substitute appearances. Terry Venables withheld the "talisboy", bringing him on only when Leeds were two up. Milner entered to a standing ovation and left having done next to nothing and not needed to.
Leeds were coasting by then, something they had started too soon. Venables warned beforehand that in football "every time you think you see the light at the end of a tunnel it has a knack of turning out to be the light on a train coming the other way".
Bakke put Leeds ahead in the sixth minute from a poor corner by Ian Harte, in keeping with the full back's overall display. The ball was headed away, but only to Gary Kelly, whose deep cross was nodded back by Viduka for Bakke to glance home.
An hour later, Viduka scored with an equally simple header after Kelly rode a challenge down the right, paused at the byline and picked the spot for his cross with a chip.
Next up for Birmingham are Arsenal. Forty points suddenly looks a long way off.
Guardian Service
LEEDS UNITED: Robinson, Kelly, Woodgate, Mills, Harte, Smith, Bakke (Milner 73), Okon, Wilcox, Viduka, Kewell. Subs Not Used: Martyn, Seth Johnson, Duberry, Fowler. Booked: Smith. Goals: Bakke 6, Viduka 67.
BIRMINGHAM: Vaesen, Kenna, Michael Johnson (Horsfield 63), Hutchinson, Grainger (Powell 70), Devlin, Cisse, Savage, Damien Johnson, Kirovski, Morrison. Subs Not Used: Bennett, Hughes, Woodhouse. Booked: Savage, Grainger.
Referee: P Dowd (Staffordshire).
