Manchester United were given a glimpse of their possible immediate future yesterday lunchtime and it looks every bit as rosy as their newly-sponsored red shirts. Life without David Beckham may not be so bad after all.
As the unthinkable - Beckham playing for Arsenal, Barcelona or AC Milan next season - comes ever closer to being a reality, Alex Ferguson and United's followers must contemplate what to do without Beckham's piercing presence on the right flank.
Yesterday Paul Scholes filled in, but that was all he was doing. Scholes is an inside-forward. For the sake of the team's balance a natural right winger or wing-back will have to be recruited. Money will not be a problem.
Yet even with Beckham sitting in the stand, United walked away from Elland Road with a victory that leaves them cushioned by six points. Leeds have now lost home and away to the champions and to Liverpool. They have also lost their one meeting with Arsenal. It is a revealing statistic. For the champions, after last Saturday's tetchy collapse at St James' Park, they have regained their composure and resolution here.
Any chances of another defeat were scuppered by a combination of Mark Bosnich's alertness, Leeds's lacklustre finishing and some unforgiving woodwork. The visitors, too, had their moments. Nigel Martyn made useful second-half stops from Scholes and Teddy Sheringham, on as a replacement for the injured Dwight Yorke, and three minutes after Andy Cole had scored the only goal, Roy Keane struck the Leeds upright.
Keane's surge had taken him past both Eirik Bakke and Lucas Radebe and his stabbed shot grazed Martyn's shoulder on the way to clipping the post. Martyn must have wished for a similar outcome when Cole had come running at him seven minutes after the interval.
There was little obvious threat of a breakthrough when Cole jousted with Radebe for Scholes's sharp pass 40 yards out. Cole strode away from the Leeds captain and may have expected Martyn to have come charging off his line to nullify the danger. But Martyn hesitated, Cole ran into the area and plonked the ball home for his 100th goal for Man United.
Only 29 minutes had gone when Cole's partner Yorke, rushed to the game from Los Angeles by Ferguson, hobbled off with a thigh strained. "It was a long way to come for half an hour," Ferguson said ruefully, adding that Yorke will not be returning to America for the international tournament and that he is a doubt for the Champions' League game with Bordeaux on Wednesday week.
The best early chances came from dead-ball situations. Twice Bosnich tipped away swerving Ian Harte free-kicks and a third flying parry six minutes after Cole's goal, again from a Harte free-kick, was fundamental to the result. Even when Bosnich was beaten, as he was two minutes later, the ball cannoned back off the bar from Bakke's unchallenged header.
Chasing the game, Harry Kewell started to assert himself. One tricky run ended with the ball brushing the Manchester crossbar again and Leeds realised they were not going to have their Sunday lunch and eat it when Bosnich finally made a fumble, left the ball on a plate and was still not punished. Jason Wilcox had the original shot, Alan Smith drove the rebound onto the near post and then Lee Bowyer, possibly paying for sins committed in a previous existence, skied the ball over from six yards. There were three minutes to go. The contest was finished. A six-point gap was created.
As Bosnich pointed out: "We now have a hard March, something like nine games in 31 days, but it's nice cushion." Without doubt. Without Beckham?
Leeds: Martyn, Kelly, Radebe, Woodgate, Harte, Bakke, Bowyer, Jones, Wilcox, Smith, Kewell. Subs not used: Haaland, Hopkin, Huckerby, Mills, Robinson. Booked: Kewell, Jones.
Manchester Utd: Bosnich, G Neville, Stam, Silvestre, Irwin, Scholes, Keane, Butt, Giggs, Yorke (Sheringham 30), Cole. Subs not used: P Neville, Cruyff, Berg, Van Der Gouw. Booked: Irwin, Stam. Goals: Cole 52.
Referee: P Jones (Loughborough).
