The Leeds player most likely to leave this summer lifted the Yorkshire side off the foot of the Premiership and gave them renewed hope of survival.

Mark Viduka stroked home a 76th-minute penalty to provide new chairman Gerald Krasner and his board of directors the perfect start to their tenure at Elland Road.

Krasner bullishly stated on Friday, in the wake of his consortium taking control of the Whites for £22million, that Leeds would definitely stay in the Premiership.

The 55-year-old may be proved right if Eddie Gray's side can continue to ride their luck as they did in this vital relegation clash.

If there was a sense of fresh optimism among the fans that a new era had dawned over Leeds, such a feeling barely transferred itself to the players until controversy struck.

Daniel van Buyten merely brushed Alan Smith as the duo raced into the area in chase of a Viduka flick-on.

And referee Alan Wiley not only awarded the spot-kick, but rubbed salt into City wounds by dismissing the Belgian as he was also last man.

Viduka comfortably beat David James but, as the highest wage earner on £3.9million per year, he is certain to be first out of the door this season as Krasner has made it clear that - regardless of which division Leeds are playing in next season - sales are inevitable.

It was a victory Leeds barely deserved but it sets them up for the rest of the season as they are now just two points away from safety with both Portsmouth and Leicester - directly above them in the table - to come at home.

City, despite their morale-boosting 4-1 win over rivals Manchester United eight days ago, are again looking nervously over their shoulders as they are just three points off the relegation zone.

But they could count themselves lucky they did not get anything out of the game.

Looking on from the directors' box for the first time, Krasner will hardly have been enamoured by the opening 20 minutes as the match bore all the hallmarks of a relegation dogfight.

Leeds had an early penalty appeal turned down in the 10th minute when Viduka was clearly barged over by Richard Dunne. Wiley remained unmoved on that occasion.

Three minutes later Shaun Wright-Phillips had a chance to further enhance his growing reputation in front of watching England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

But, with many claiming the winger deserves a call-up to the England squad for next week's friendly in Sweden, Wright-Phillips could only fire an angled shot into the sidenetting after being played in by a piercing through-ball from Joey Barton.

Then came the moment Krasner must have dreamed of, even if the opener was more by fluke than by design, as Stephen McPhail scored his first Leeds goal since bagging a brace in a 2-0 win at Chelsea in December 1999.

After Michael Tarnat had fouled Jermaine Pennant down the right wing, McPhail's free-kick eluded all in the area, catching James seemingly unawares and unsighted as England's number one keeper could only push the ball on to the post and over the line.

Seth Johnson's foul on Barton led to Tarnat rifling in a 25-yard free-kick which took a deflection off the knee of Didier Domi and, although Paul Robinson was beaten, the shot struck the outside of the left-hand post.

Moments later, Robinson was called upon, preventing Anelka from grabbing an equaliser, with the Leeds goalkeeper smartly down to the Frenchman's 15-yard shot on the turn.

City were denied again six minutes from half-time when Barton fed former Leeds striker Robbie Fowler, a throwback to the extravagances of the former regime.

It must gall Krasner that he will continue to pay Fowler £10,000 per week up until June 2006 as part of the terms of the deal which took him across the Pennines in a £6million move 14 months ago.

Although Fowler's long-range effort dipped on to the roof of the net after catching Steve Caldwell, he was soon involved in the move which led to City drawing level 90 seconds before the break.

Barton and Antoine Sibierski also played their part, setting up Anelka to drive beyond the outstretched Robinson his 21st of the season.

Buoyed by the goal, the visitors started the second period with a purpose and, but for Robinson's instinctive point-blank block to Sibierksi's close-range downward header, would have been in front inside a minute.

Moments later, Sibierski ballooned over after being played in by Wright-Phillips, before Anelka skied over after being set up by another cutting move.

But with City looking the more likely to find the winner, Wiley intervened to give Leeds a lifeline.

Teams

Leeds Robinson, Kelly, Caldwell, Matteo, Domi, Pennant, McPhail, Seth Johnson, Milner, Smith, Viduka.

Subs Not Used: Carson, Harte, Radebe, Lennon, Simon Johnson.

Booked: Viduka, Seth Johnson.

Goals: McPhail 23, Viduka 76 pen.

Man City James, Wright-Phillips, Dunne, Van Buyten, Distin, Tarnat, Sibierski, Barton, Bosvelt (Jihai 82), Fowler, Anelka.

Subs Not Used: Arason, Wanchope, Macken, Sinclair.

Sent Off: Van Buyten (75).

Booked: Jihai.

Goals: Anelka 44.

Att: 36,998

Ref: A Wiley (Staffordshire).