Lee Bowyer came out for yesterday's second half with a pair of gloves on. As a metaphor for Leeds United's display and the manner of their ascent back to the top of the Premiership, it could hardly have been more appropriate. When the Leeds gloves eventually come off, they will definitely be a force to be reckoned with.

It is said that their coach, Brian Kidd, is aiming for Leeds to peak after Christmas. For the first 74 minutes of yesterday's match it was as if Leeds were kids on Christmas morning, so distracted were they. Only Rio Ferdinand and occasionally Eirik Bakke were playing with any great presence or urgency.

The scoreline was 1-0 and Derby County were beginning to scent an equaliser that would not have been wholly undeserved.

Then Bowyer picked up the ball in the centre-circle and swept it 50 yards to Harry Kewell on the left.

Hitherto Kewell had been inept, underconfident and barracked by a section of his own fans. Now he jogged unconvincingly towards Youl Mawene once again, swung his left leg and saw his shot pass through Mawene's legs and off the far post into the net.

Elland Road woke up; so did Kewell. Another four minutes and another telling ball from Bowyer found Kewell nipping in front of his man on the edge of the Derby six-yard box to direct a header beyond Andy Oakes.

Suddenly it was 3-0 and but for a trio of good saves from Oakes after that, two from Robbie Keane and one from Bowyer, it could have been even more unrepresentative.

But that is alleged to be one of the secrets to securing championships: playing badly, winning games. The fact remains that only Arsenal's Sylvain Wiltord has beaten Nigel Martyn in the league this season.

Martyn had one important stop to make here. It came five minutes after half-time when Malcolm Christie raced on to Brian O'Neil's long ball and shook off Dominic Matteo. Martyn was off his line quickly, though he was aided by Christie's weak effort. Arguably, that was the afternoon's turning point.

"A vital save at the right time," was David O'Leary's judgment afterwards. His demeanour was not that of a satisfied man.

"People are getting carried away with the expectation here," he said, bristling. No one had offered an argument. But O'Leary continued: "Man United and Arsenal both have better teams and better squads than us. Man United left out nine players yesterday - we can't leave out nine. The chairman says I'm getting three more, but that's news to me. Our aim is the Champions League."

Of Kewell's first goals of the season, O'Leary said: "I think he needed them because he wasn't playing too well up to then."

But Kewell was not singled out. "We are top of the league and I don't think anybody is playing particularly well," O'Leary added. Finally he said: "But it's nice to be top." Very generous.

Had Oakes and his midfield been less so nine minutes in - Bakke was allowed a free header from six yards to nod in Ian Harte's free-kick - Leeds might have had to show more of their undoubted qualities.

But in a soporific first half in which Seth Johnson and Adam Murray matched Bakke, Bowyer and David Batty's output, there was a lack of midfield lustre.

Leeds seemed content with 1-0; Derby were intent on it staying that way for as long as possible.

Derby's last victory here remains that secured in 1974.

"People will look at the score and think it was a drubbing," said Colin Todd, then a Derby player, now Jim Smith's assistant. "I have to disagree with that."

Todd was pretty upbeat. "We've got to take a lot of credit. We're a young side but we're capable of staying in the Premiership."

Leeds are capable of winning it. When the gloves come off.

LEEDS UTD: Martyn, Mills, Ferdinand, Matteo, Harte, Bowyer, Bakke, Batty, Kewell, Viduka, Keane. Subs Not Used: Kelly, Woodgate, Robinson, McPhail, Wilcox. Booked: Matteo. Goals: Bakke 9, Kewell 74, 78.

DERBY CO: Oakes, Higginbotham, Riggott, Mawene, Boertien, Murray (Kinkladze 81), Powell, Johnson, O'Neil, Ravanelli (Burton 80), Christie. Subs Not Used: Morris, Valakari, Grant. Booked: Boertien, Johnson.

Referee: A Wiley (Burntwood).