Manchester City target Robbie Fowler arrived to a hero's reception at Maine Road today - only for Shaun Goater and Niclas Jensen to steal the glory.

Blues boss Kevin Keegan is expected to launch a £7million raid for Fowler next week and the home fans showed what they think of the potential transfer by hailing his appearance from the Leeds bench 18 minutes from time.

Yet long-serving Goater proved he is going to be no willing patsy for the England man by putting City in front with his sixth goal of the campaign, before Jensen produced one of the most majestic finishes the old ground has ever seen.

With just one goal from 41 previous appearances, expectations were not high when Nicolas Anelka lofted a pass across the penalty area to the unmarked Danish international.

The ball dropped perfectly and Jensen let fly, arrowing his shot into the opposite corner leaving the excellent Paul Robinson helpless.

Robinson came out on top when Jensen launched another audacious effort from Eyal Berkovic's square ball but, even though Harry Kewell gave Leeds late hope with a cool last-minute finish, the visitors were well beaten and Goater had made his point by tucking a 29th-minute shot into the corner after Berkovic had played him in.

Keegan had expressed a pre-match hope that his side would perform to a far higher standard than they had in their FA Cup defeat to Liverpool six days previously.

If anything they were worse, certainly in the first 15 minutes when a Leeds side who had taken 13 points from their last five outings managed to smother City's sporadic attacks.

Not that the visitors did any better, even though Kewell suggested he might, standing on the ball on one occasion after forcing himself into a decent attacking position.

The Australian brought a good save from Peter Schmeichel after his effort deflected off Kevin Horlock.

Jason Wilcox could not get enough power on his header to test the veteran Dane from the rebound and the former Blackburn man's one-footedness was exposed on the stroke of half-time when he was forced to cut inside after good work from Alan Smith and Kewell had set him free in the box.

Wilcox still managed to force a low cross into the danger zone but neither Kewell nor Smith could bundle the ball home.

By then, City were in front, Berkovic finally gaining some reward for his promptings, driving at the heart of Leeds' stretched defence and pulling Jonathan Woodgate out of position before releasing Goater.

The little Israeli might have created a second had Marc-Vivien Foe, after rising above the Leeds defence, been able to keep his header under Robinson's crossbar.

Foe and Goater both wasted chances to extend City's lead in the first few minutes of the second period but it took Jensen's brilliant strike to raise the home fans to their feet, and give Fowler an indication of the standards he will have to match should he decide to link up with the Blues.

Fowler's Leeds career certainly looks to be heading nowhere fast and despite his experience, it was to teenage sensation James Milner than manager Terry Venables turned when Smith was forced off after taking a crack on the ankle from Sun Jihai.

At that stage, the visitors were pushing forward with greater urgency, only for their efforts to meet with an obdurate City defence, well marshalled from the back by Schmeichel's bellowing voice.

Having scored nine goals in the previous two visits to Maine Road, maybe Leeds had used up their quota at a ground to which they will probably never return - unless an FA Cup semi-final is staged there and the Yorkshire side reach it.

They must have known it was not to be their day when Horlock capped an industrious afternoon by sliding in to deny Kewell a shooting chance after good work from Eirik Bakke.

It was time for Fowler, to one of the most bizarre receptions imaginable, the visiting fans staying largely silent as the home support cheered his arrival, although his immediate impact was neglible compared with that of Robinson, who produced a fine one-handed stop to deny Horlock a deserved goal.

City seemed to stop playing after that, and Kewell's late strike after strolling onto Jonathan Woodgate's pass threatened to give Keegan heart failure.

Deservedly, the home side survived to move within a point of once-mighty Liverpool. Maybe Fowler can push them into Europe after all.

Teams

Man City: Schmeichel, Dunne, Howey, Distin, Jihai, Berkovic (Benarbia 84), Foe, Horlock, Jensen, Goater (Wright-Phillips 80), Anelka.

Subs Not Used: Nash, Wiekens, Huckerby.

Goals: Goater 29, Jensen 50.

Leeds: Robinson, Kelly, Mills, Woodgate, Matteo, Smith (Milner 60), Bakke (Fowler 72), Okon, Wilcox, Viduka (Seth Johnson 72), Kewell.

Subs Not Used: Martyn, Lucic.

Booked: Kewell, Matteo, Mills, Seth Johnson.

Goals: Kewell 90.

Att: 34,884

Ref: R Styles (Hampshire).