Nolberto Solano helped Newcastle to their first away win in the Premiership
for almost five months to give boss Ruud Gullit's side breathing space away from
the relegation zone.
The Peruvian winger slotted home his fourth goal of the season as Leeds
suffered their second successive defeat and their first at home since October 3.
With the away-day blues banished, Newcastle can now look ahead to their FA Cup
fifth-round tie against Blackburn at St James' Park next Sunday.
In contrast, Leeds must now find a way to pick themselves up as they welcome
former boss George Graham and his Spurs side to Elland Road for their last 16
tie in seven days' time.
The euphoria surrounding the youth revolution at Leeds is slowly beginning to
evaporate, so maybe manager David O'Leary was right to previously admit the
demands of top flight football would take its toll.
After last week's 3-0 hammering at Southampton, O'Leary demanded his side
immediately rekindle the form which had led to widespread praise. But it never
materialised in front of a season's best 40,202 crowd and against a remarkably
ordinary looking Newcastle who can count themselves fortunate to get away with
the three points especially as they had an emergency strikeforce.
Given recent performances at Elland Road, however, perhaps it's too much to
expect O'Leary's "babies" to turn on the style every time - and this was one
of those occasions.
Both sides certainly missed the services - and the running off the ball - of
their main strikers as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Alan Shearer both had
one-match bans.
Leeds looked disjointed, only occasionally showing glimpses of what they have
produced to such devastating effect this season.
Newcastle, with Temuri Ketsbaia and on-loan Louis Saha up front, were far from
'sexy', more a case of passion-killers on a typically cold February day.
Solano warmed the cockles with a riveting 15-yard left-foot drive early on
after jinking his way into space in the Leeds area, but despite beating Nigel
Martyn, rattled the woodwork.
The lead should have belonged to Newcastle in the 33rd minute when the
normally-reliable Jonathon Woodgate underhit a woeful backpass. Ketsbaia could
not believe his luck as he intercepted with ease, but when faced by Martyn, the
England international showed his true class by diving at full stretch to take
the ball off the toes of the Georgian.
Leeds had their first-half moments, in particular through Lee Bowyer, recalled
to the England Under-21s this week and perhaps unfortunate not to be in the full
squad.
His link-up play with David Hopkin in the midfield was the main highlight,
while a volley and a half-volley in particular tested Shay Given.
Australian international Harry Kewell also knocked a raking free-kick from Ian
Harte across the face of goal which Clyde Wijnhard, starting only his second
game since the end of November, only just failed to turn home.
The goal eventually arrived in the 63rd minute with Solano starting and
finishing a move, which also involved Ketsbaia and Dietmar Hamann, with a
right-foot finish taken in his stride from 12 yards.
The closest Leeds came to the equaliser was in the 87th minute when Kewell
viciously curled a left-foot shot against the base of Given's right-hand post.
Now O'Leary faces the first real test of his short managerial career while
things are last looking up for Gullit
Teams:
Leeds: Martyn, Harte, Woodgate, Radebe, Granville (Halle 66),
Haaland, Hopkin, Bowyer, Kewell, Wijnhard (Korsten 66), Smith.
Subs Not Used: Wetherall, Jones, Robinson.
Booked: Woodgate, Kewell.
Newcastle: Given, Barton, Howey, Charvet, Griffin, Solano, Speed,
Hamann, Glass (Brady 66), Ketsbaia, Saha (Andersson 88).
Subs Not Used: Georgiadis, Hughes, Harper.
Booked: Barton, Speed, Charvet, Hamann, Saha.
Goals: Solano 63.
Att: 40,202
Ref: U Rennie (Sheffield).
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