Administration-threatened Leeds were denied a potentially vital victory by
referee Neale Barry.
Barry was fooled by Cardiff winger Richard Langley's 50th-minute dive to win a
penalty, allowing Peter Thorne to slide home the spot kick and help stretch
City's unbeaten run to six matches.
It was a decision, one Barry also took an age to make, that changed the course
of this Championship clash at Elland Road as Leeds are desperate for every win
they can muster.
Following the failure of Sebastien Sainsbury's proposed £25million takeover,
the club are close to calling in the administrators.
Chairman Gerald Krasner is hoping to strike a deal with Norman Stubbs early
next week with regard to a £10million investment, with former deputy chairman
Allan Leighton believed to be considering a potential alliance with the
Leeds-based property developer.
If Stubbs' bid also falls by the wayside, then it is almost certain Leeds will
go into administration sooner rather than later, incurring with it the Football
League penalty of a 10-point deduction and a relegation battle for the rest of
the season.
Yet this was another home game Leeds should not have let slip from their grasp
after coming out with all guns blazing as they looked to improve on their record
of three wins from their last four league games.
Cardiff goalkeeper Tony Warner was twice forced into the fray inside the
opening four minutes, denying David Healy on both occasions, before Gary Kelly
was inches wide with an 18-yard drive after fine approach play involving Julian
Joachim, Danny Pugh and Aaron Lennon.
But in the 14th minute Leeds gained their just reward for their early
dominance, with teenager Simon Walton starting and finishing an incisive move.
The 17-year-old was initially involved in an exchange of passes with Lennon on
the right wing before a lay-off to Healy on the edge of the box.
Walton continued his run into the area and after taking a return pass from
Healy in his stride, he then drove his third goal of the season underneath the
advancing Warner from 12 yards.
But from that moment Leeds took their foot off the gas, and although never
appearing unduly troubled, it was Cardiff who should have added to the half's
goal tally.
Neil Sullivan first pushed wide a fierce edge-of-the-area drive from Langley,
while in injury time Junichi Inamoto rattled the crossbar, giving the visitors a
vital pre-interval fillip.
Cardiff then started the second half with their tails up, and after Sullivan
had hauled down an 18-yard drive from Thorne, the former Scotland international
was then adjudged to have brought down Langley.
Barry infuriated the Leeds players with his decision, allowing Thorne to roll
home the resultant penalty, his third this season and his 11th goal overall this
campaign, in doing so stretching Leeds' failure to keep a clean sheet to 19
matches.
United never once tested Warner after the break, underlying how they were
thrown off track, with Cardiff coming closest to the winner when James Collins
headed inches wide a right-wing free-kick from captain Graham Kavanagh.
Teams:
Leeds: Sullivan, Kelly, Butler, Kilgallon, Richardson,
Walton (Spring 85), Wright, Pugh, Joachim, Healy,
Lennon (Carlisle 57).
Subs Not Used: Carson, Ricketts, Griffit.
Goals: Walton 14.
Cardiff: Warner, Weston, Gabbidon, Collins, Barker, Langley,
Inamoto (Ledley 88), Kavanagh, McAnuff, Thorne, Jerome (Lee 30).
Subs Not Used: Bullock, Vidmar, Alexander.
Goals: Thorne 52 pen.
Att: 29,548
Ref: N Barry (N Lincolnshire).
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