The idea of Leeds United winning the European Cup is now perfectly feasible. They may not be the best side in Europe nor, indeed, in England but they look like saving their best till last, much as Real Madrid did to win the trophy a year ago. And in tournaments like the Champions League timing is everything.
As a dry run for Wednesday's home leg of their semi-final against Valencia the hard-working 2-0 victory Leeds achieved against Chelsea at Elland Road on Saturday, when Robbie Keane and Mark Viduka scored in the last four minutes, satisfied a number of requirements.
Not only did it restore Leeds to third in the Premiership while guaranteeing them a UEFA Cup place next season should all else fail, it also gave David O'Leary's team a chance to show they could still win games without playing especially well.
Certainly that was O'Leary's view. "This game will stand us in extremely good stead," he declared. "While it would be great to score some early goals we will need to be patient because we can only get through by being good over two legs. Just as in this match, the Valencia games will be all about keeping our discipline, our shape and our patience."
Chelsea even obliged Leeds by ensuring that the fixture fulfilled its usual levels of ill will, thus preparing them for the red-hot test ahead. It was not so much Jody Morris's forearm across the face of Olivier Dacourt that lowered the tone as the Chelsea midfielder's late lunge at David Batty towards the end of the first half.
Chelsea provided five of Steve Dunn's seven bookings. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, returning to Elland Road to routine revilement from erstwhile fans, was lucky to stay on after leading with an elbow against Dacourt.
With the midfields locking horns and service to both sets of strikers restricted, Alan Smith and Viduka found it difficult to outwit John Terry and Marcel Desailly.
When Leeds managed to break through they were thwarted by Carlo Cudicini's judgment and agility, and until Gianfranco Zola clipped the outside of a post from 20 yards the nearest Chelsea had come to scoring was in the eighth minute when Nigel Martyn deflected a ricochet off Ian Harte over the bar. Denied a goal by Cudicini's saves and a penalty after Desailly had handled on the ground, Leeds were worrying.
The match was won and lost through substitutions, however. O'Leary brought on Eirik Bakke and Robbie Keane and Ranieri took off Zola, Chelsea's only realistic hope of victory once Martyn had kept out a near-post header from Mario Melchiot. In the 86th minute Bakke touched on a prodigious header from Danny Mills, releasing Keane to score after Cudicini had blocked his first attempt.
Two minutes later Harte's lofted ball sailed over Terry and though Desailly should have cleared it the Frenchman allowed Viduka to come from behind him and drive an emphatic shot into the net.
LEEDS UNITED: Martyn, Mills, Ferdinand, Matteo, Harte, Bowyer (Bakke 75), Dacourt, Batty, Kewell (Keane 81), Viduka, Smith. Subs Not Used: Kelly, Robinson, Wilcox. Booked: Dacourt, Bakke. Goals: Keane 86, Viduka 88.
CHELSEA: Cudicini, Melchiot, Desailly, Terry, Babayaro, Wise, Dalla Bona, Morris (Poyet 64), Le Saux (Gudjohnsen 88), Hasselbaink, Zola (Gronkjaer 77). Subs Not Used: de Goey, Jokanovic. Booked: Morris, Babayaro, Dalla Bona, Hasselbaink, Desailly.
Referee: S Dunn (Bristol).
