Darren Huckerby kept Coventry's UEFA Cup hopes alive in exhilarating style with a hat-trick in an amazing draw at Leeds.

The England B international turned 22 on Thursday and demonstrated that an extra candle on his cake had only further fired his personal desire for success with the Sky Blues.

Two scintillating first-half strikes had kept Gordon Strachan's side in the game after Leeds' showman Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink had twice put the home side ahead in the 16 and 28th minutes.

Huckerby appeared to have sealed all three points for the visitors in the 62nd minute when he combined with Norwegian Trond Soltvedt before hitting his third of the game past Nigel Martyn for his 15th of the season.

But Coventry had reckoned without Australian teenager Harry Kewell, who turned party pooper 15 minutes from time to deny the Sky Blues their first win for five matches.

The first half had a disappointing opening but burst into life in the 16th minute when Hasselbaink lifted the game.

Young defender Ian Harte played an excellent long ball to the Dutch striker down the left flank.

The Surinam-born forward shrugged off the attentions of Gary Breen before placing his 21st of the season in off goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic's left-hand post.

But the visitors refused to wave a white flag and Huckerby proved that whatever Hasselbaink could do, he could do better.

In the 20th minute Huckerby picked up a long ball from defence which had been flicked on by Paul Telfer. Harte appeared to have the edge on Huckerby to clear but the former Newcastle man raised a gear to sprint past the Republic of Ireland international and fire past Martyn.

Eight minutes later Hasselbaink restored Leeds' advantage with a typical piece of bravado. Coventry conceded a free-kick 25 yards from goal when Willie Boland fouled Lee Bowyer.

The former Charlton man helped tee up the set piece with Kewell before Hasselbaink fired home into Ogrizovic's bottom left-hand corner.

But Huckerby showed he was still in the party mood, even if was two days after his birthday. Latching on to a defensive clearance 10 yards inside the Leeds half, Huckerby's appeared unthreatening.

But Gary Kelly - an experienced international who had had to cope with the attentions of £15million-rated Argentinian Ariel Ortega on Wednesday - had no answer to Huckerby's exceptional change of pace. Before the advancing Martyn could attempt a save, he had fired his second of the game into the top left corner.

The second half opened in a calmer fashion but both sides could have taken early advantages.

Coventry right-back Roland Nilsson launched a long ball down the right for Huckerby and just as he entered the area Leeds defender Martin Hiden slipped, but was saved by Martyn who quickly raced off his line to clear.

Five minutes later, an excellent combination between Hasselbaink and Gunnar Halle resulted in the Norwegian crossing perfectly for Bowyer but he struck his close-range shot straight at the grateful Ogrizovic.

Then in the 62nd minute Ogrizovic was again required to pull off a magnificent save from Bowyer. His subsequent clearance found Soltvedt who then played the ball through to Huckerby to ghost past Kelly again and complete his hat-trick.

Coventry looked to have sealed the points and edged closer to foreign trips next season until Kewell popped up to burst the balloons for Huckerby.

David Hopkin squared the ball from the left of the area and Kewell was on hand to sidefoot home his eighth goal of the season.

Teams

Leeds: Martyn, Kelly, Wetherall, Hiden, Harte (Robertson 88), Halle, Haaland, Bowyer, Kewell, Hasselbaink, Wallace (Hopkin 72).

Subs Not Used: Molenaar, McPhail, Beeney.

Booked: Bowyer, Wallace, Kelly.

Goals: Hasselbaink 16, 28, Kewell 75.

Coventry: Ogrizovic, Nilsson, Shaw, Breen, Hall (Williams 86), Telfer, Soltvedt, Boland, Whelan, Huckerby, Dublin.

Subs Not Used: Moldovan, Strachan, Shilton, Hedman.

Booked: Whelan, Dublin, Hall.

Goals: Huckerby 20, 34, 62.

Att: 36,522

Ref: M D Reed (Birmingham).