Leeds maintained their surprise Premiership title challenge by stretching their unbeaten run to seven matches - albeit accompanied by another flurry of
yellow cards.
Two of the sides with the worse disciplinary record in the top flight amassed
eight bookings between them as last week's Battle of the Bridge was followed by
another rough ride at Elland Road.
Leeds were involved in a bruising goalless encounter against Chelsea last
Saturday - in which there were 10 bookings, and United had Alfie Haaland and
Gary Kelly sent off - and the challenges in this game were just as biting and
just as severely punished by referee Alan Wilkie.
But despite the number of cautions - four for either side - George Graham's
team continued to sit proudly just behind the front running trio of Manchester
United, Blackburn and Ruud Gullit's side as they have now won five and drawn two
in the league since the start of November.
The football was dour and uninspiring from both sides, but the goals from
Bruno Ribeiro and Jimmy Hasselbaink were out of the top drawer.
Bolton have now picked up just one point from their last nine to keep them
firmly entrenched in the relegation area.
Chester-le-Street man in black Wilkie failed to serve note of the number of
yellow cards to follow as he did not blow his whistle for the first foul of the
game until the 21st minute.
But just before the break David Robertson's name was taken for his foul on
Danish under-21 international Michael Johansen, with Bolton's Jimmy Phillips
following shortly after for his challenge on Rod Wallace.
The chances were few and far between in that period as keepers Nigel Martyn
and Gavin Ward were virtual spectators.
In the sixth minute Ward was beaten with a first-time left foot drive from
Portuguese midfielder Ribeiro, but his shot flashed inches wide of the left hand
post. Martyn and Ward were both then forced to make goal denying blocks within
the space of a minute on the quarter of an hour mark after Per Frandsen and
Wallace - making his 200th appearance for United - were given a sight of goal.
Bolton's leading scorer Nathan Blake was then sent clear in the 42nd minute,
but, with only Martyn to beat, he decided to shoot from just inside the area and
ended up blazing wide.
The Welsh international did much better with a powerful eight-yard header in
the 49th minute following a Scott Sellars free kick, but his head was on his
hands as Martyn made a lightning reaction save.
Referee Wilkie then went into overdrive with the yellow cards as six followed
in the space of 27 minutes - skipper David Hopkin, Hasselbaink, and David
Wetherall for Leeds and Peter Beardsley, Johansen and Sellars for the visitors.
Leeds, despite now taking their yellow card count to 46 for the season,
finally ended their goal drought of just over four hours in the 68th minute with
a sensational strike from Ribeiro.
The £500,000 summer signing from Vitoria Setubal picked up a half clearance
from the Bolton defence 25 yards out and sent a dipping shot over the head of
stunned keeper Ward.
Bolton, now with 37 bookings to their name this season, then conceded the game
killing second goal nine minutes from time.
Robert Molenaar's long ball out of defence found Dutch striker Hasselbaink and
he turned former Leeds defender Chris Fairclough inside out before delivering a
15 yard right-foot curler into the bottom left hand corner for his seventh of
the season.
Teams:
Leeds: Martyn, Halle, Wetherall, Molenaar, Robertson, Kelly,
Haaland, Hopkin (Bowyer 79), Ribeiro, Wallace, Hasselbaink.
Subs Not Used: Lilley, Laurent, Maybury, Beeney.
Booked: Robertson, Hopkin, Hasselbaink, Wetherall.
Goals: Ribeiro 68, Hasselbaink 81.
Bolton: Ward, Bergsson, Todd, Fairclough, Phillips,
Johansen (Carr 76), Pollock, Frandsen, Sellars, Blake, Beardsley.
Subs Not Used: Whitlow, Cox, Gunnlaugsson, Jaaskelainen.
Booked: Phillips, Beardsley, Johansen, Sellars.
Att: 31,163
Ref: A B Wilkie (Che
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