Lee Bowyer virtually guaranteed Leeds' place in this season's UEFA Cup semi-finals - but is out of next week's return clash in Prague through suspension after earning his third yellow card of the tournament.

The midfielder made the opening goal and scored the third, but the yellow card means he is now suspended for next Thursday's second leg.

Bowyer is to appear before the city's magistrates tomorrow with team-mate Jonathan Woodgate after being charged with grievous bodily harm and affray. The charges follow an alleged assault on a student outside a Leeds nightclub in January.

Early on it looked as if Bowyer's game would be cut short when he was scythed down by Adam Petrous in the 32nd minute, a challenge which led to him being stretchered off.

After treatment on the sidelines to his left ankle, Bowyer then hobbled back on and it took a few minutes' respite before he was again full of running and setting up the opener.

His terrier-like qualities came to the fore as he intercepted a Slavia throw just inside the Czech half and after evading two tackles, he then brilliantly fed the on-running Jason Wilcox.

The England international winger took the ball in full flow and finished with aplomb with a searing strike beyond keeper Radek Cerny for his third goal in Leeds' colours since his £3million move from Blackburn just before Christmas.

Wilcox certainly showed the returning Harry Kewell the way to goal as the Australian international began an off-key first half by missing one of the easiest chances he has had all season.

Kewell, the hero of both legs in the last round against Roma but who missed Sunday's Yorkshire derby victory over Bradford through suspension, should have given Leeds a blistering start.

Wilcox initiated a flowing move, with Michael Bridges the link as Kewell was then left one-on-one with Cerny, but time was his enemy as he dwelled too long before firing into the body of the Czech stopper.

In between, the tension of such an illustrious occasion was beginning to translate itself from the stands onto the pitch as a technically efficient Slavia side also grew in confidence.

One sweetly-timed tackle from Alf Inge Haaland prevented Tomas Dosek from testing Nigel Martyn after just seven minutes.

Slavia's only other chance of the opening 45 minutes came from a Kewell mistake on the edge of the Czech 18-yard box, allowing the visitors to break with speed.

Tomas Kuchar ran at the United defence, and with skipper Lucas Radebe backing off, the midfielder cracked in a right-foot shot which whistled past Martyn's left-hand post.

But when the goal came it visibly lifted not only the players, but also the whole of Elland Road, and just before the break it should have been 2-0.

Gary Kelly's cross into the near post received a touch from Bridges which deceived Cerny, and after Eirik Bakke had first missed the open goal, Bowyer on the follow-up shot straight at the recovering keeper.

But within 15 minutes of the second half both Kewell and Bowyer then made amends for their glaring misses as on both occasions the Czech defence was torn asunder.

In the 54th minute it was Bakke's persistence as he ran into a wall of Slavia players, but he eventually emerged with the ball to tee up an arriving Kewell at the far post for his 13th of the season.

Slavia have not lost in 20 matches in the Czech League this season - winning 16 and drawing four - but their away record of two defeats and two draws in Europe proved their undoing.

Bridges was the creator on this occasion with a quality crossfield ball directly into the path of Bowyer, who took one touch before firing home underneath the body of Cerny for his 11th of the season and his first in eight games.

But it was not quite the perfect evening as in the 64th minute his challenge on Kuchar was punished by German referee Markus Merk, and so leading to his one-match ban.

Bridges then could have added extra gloss to Leeds' first European quarter-final game for 25 years with a fourth 18 minutes from time, but after robbing substitute Martin Hysky on the edge of the area, another tame shot found the body of Cerny.

With bookings then flying around in the second period, Slavia captain Karel Rada was sent off for two bookable offences in the space of three minutes - the first for dissent and the second for a foul on Wilcox.

It meant Rada had become the third foreign player to be given his marching orders at Elland Road in a week after the red cards for two Roma players last Thursday.

But in all, it was another glorious European occasion to remember for Leeds and a vital clean sheet which should mean they will have little trouble in securing their last four place.

Teams:

Leeds: Martyn, Kelly, Haaland, Radebe, Harte, Bowyer, Bakke, McPhail (Huckerby 78), Wilcox, Bridges (Smith 87), Kewell.

Subs Not Used: Hopkin, Mills, Jones, Duberry, Robinson.

Booked: Bowyer.

Goals: Wilcox 39, Kewell 54, Bowyer 59.

Slavia Prague: R. Cerny, Vlcek (Vagner 55), Rada, Koller, L. Dosek, Kuchar, Dostalek (Hysky 65), Horvath, Petrous, T. Dosek, Ulich.

Subs Not Used: Lerch, Kozel, Skala, Vozabal, Vaclavik.

Sent Off: Rada (76).

Booked: Petrous, Rada, Ulich.

Att: 39,519

Ref: Markus Merk (Germany).