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 LEEDS
3 - 0 MAN CITY
United kicked off the 2002/03 Barclaycard Premiership
in style as they thrashed new-boys Manchester City 3-0, with Nick Barmby
scoring on his debut and further goals from Mark Viduka and Robbie Keane.
Terry Venables influence on this United team could be seen throughout,
with every player playing for each other and the defence was particularly
relaxed with Dominic Matteo and Lucas Radebe at the heart. Leeds last
beat City at home eight years ago, but they have not lost an opening
fixture for seventeen years now, winning eight, now including the last
three Premiership openers. This is also the fourth time in a row that
Leeds have kicked off a new season at home. United gave Nicky Barmby
his Elland Road debut and the former Liverpool man did not disappoint,
he helped pull the strings and his goal only told half the story of
his contribution. It was an indifferent first 15 minutes from Leeds,
they allowed Manchester City too much time on the ball and wing-back
Shaun Wright-Phillips was able to maraude up and down the right flank,
causing more a few defensive headaches. Alan Smith's hanging cross showed
United that the visitors appeared a little nervous on their Premiership
return after it was dropped unexpectedly by Carlo Nash, but fortunately
for City Wright Phillips was there to hack the ball away to safety.
Leeds took the lead on 15 minutes when Nick Barmby connected with Lee
Bowyer's low cross on the volley to give the Whites the start they needed
to their 2002/03 Premiership. The cross may have been deflected, but
there was no doubting the quality of Barmby's finish. Alan Smith should
have doubled the score on 32 minutes, but he shot wide after bringing
down Ian Harte's corner in the box. With Sven Goran Eriksson watching,
Smith was a yard away from impressing the England coach from 8 yards
out. City were given their best chance of the game when Lee Bowyer's
back pass rebounded off the chest of Paul Robinson, Nicolas Anelka looked
certain to open his account for the vistors but somehow Matteo recovered
in time and got a foot to the ball, with Anelka going down and claiming
a penalty. United got their second right on the stroke of half-time
when Mark Viduka, who had been quiet in the half, got his first chance
after breaking from a pass from Nick Barmby and slotting the ball past
Carlo Nash in the City goal from a narrow angle. United made no changes
at half-time, and who could blame them with the side in such exhilarating
attacking form. Lucas Radebe walked away with the official sponsors'
man of the match, and it was on balance well deserved as he had the
job of keeping Nicolas Anelka quiet. It was his interception that stopped
Anelka from firing home after Benarbia had created the chance. Harry
Kewell came close to increasing the United's lead, beating Richard Dunne
on the line he rolled a shot across the face of the goal. City were
then forced into their third substitute when Eyal Berkovic came off
with extreme cramp allowing Chris Shuker to come on for his Premiership
debut. Within minutes the young midfielder put Darren Huckerby through
in the penalty area but the striker blasted over the target. Robbie
Keane came on for Mark Viduka on 70 minutes and showed himself to be
hungry to impress Venables. There had been rumours before the game that
Keane would be given his chance from the start, but he was just edged
out by Alan Smith. 11 minutes after coming on he ran on to a header
from Smith and his pace took him well clear of the trailing City defence.
With just Nash to beat he lobbed the ball over the advancing keeper
and into the back of the net. Five minutes from time Robbie Keane was
denied a second when his shot rebounded off the upright after Harry
Kewell's run through the inside left channel. This was a promising start
from Leeds, still plenty to work on as Terry Venables later admitted,
but without doubt there is now an exciting edge to United's play that
was lacking at times last season.
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 SPURS
NOT INTERESTED IN ROBBIE
Spurs boss Glenn Hoddle has dismissed reports linking the club with
a move for Robbie. White Hart Lane director of football David Pleat
had declared earlier this week: "We are keeping abreast of the
Robbie Keane situation". That lead to further speculation that
Darren Anderton could go the other way in a swap deal. However Hoddle
said "If someone wants to give you a bum steer , then so be it.
If people want to know they should ask me. I have a list of players
i want - and Keane is not on it".
Earlier this month Leeds agreed a £9 million fee with Sunderland
but robbie insisted: "I don't want to talk to any other club, I'm
happy at Leeds and believe i can impress the new manager".
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 LEEDS
2 - 0 SUNDERLAND
Leeds kept their faint Champions League hopes
alive with a dogged win over a determined Sunderland. An own goal from
the visitors Jody Craddock set the home side on their way, but a first
victory in three was by no means safe until substitute Robbie Keane
slotted home the second seven minutes from the end. Sunderland's hopes
of winning at Elland Road for the first time in 41 years were hit when
Kevin Phillips went off at the break, but they should have made it 1-1
only for Patrick Mboma to blaze over three minutes before Keane's clincher.
Ian Harte also produced a telling goalline clearance as the Black Cats
refused to lay down despite a Lee Bowyer-inspired Leeds dominating the
opening hour of a game they simply had to win. The last thing Sunderland
will have wanted to do is give their North East rivals at St James'
a helping hand, but as Leeds came roaring out of the traps that's exactly
what they did in the shape of a disastrous own goal. Phillips lost possession
in the home half and could only watch as David O'Leary's side broke
with their old zest, freeing Alan Smith down the right and although
his driven cross did not find intended target Mark Viduka, Craddock's
shin sent it spinning agonisingly over his keeper and into the top corner
of the net. Phillips flashed a characteristic volley wide before injuring
his groin and with him gone, their chances of cancelling out Craddock's
gaffe appeared slim. Mboma was asked to pick up the pieces from Nial
Quinn's aerial dominance while Kevin Kilbane finally started to give
Danny Mills another torrid time after his mare against Manchester United.
The Republic of Ireland winger thought his deflected cross had looped
over Nigel Martyn for the leveller on 70 minutes, only for international
team-mate Harte to get back and scoop a header out from right under
the crossbar. A break from his own half was ended by a timely Joachim
Bjorklund tackle, but as Smith won the ball back and squared to Viduka,
he picked out the Keane on the penalty spot and he prodded coolly past
Sorensen.
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 KEANE
I LOVE LEEDS
Robbie Keane has vowed to fight for his place
at Leeds United ad ignore the rising level of speculation which sees
a move away from Elland Road as inevitable. "I love Leeds, it's
a good club, and I feel at home here. I've heard the speculation loads
of times before. Every club I've been at in the last three or four years,
after I've been there about six to eight months, there are rumours I'm
going here, there and everywhere. "But just to clarify, and get
everything out of the way, I'm happy at Leeds. I've always said that,
and I'm willing to keep fighting for my place. It's been a long time
since I celebrated with a cartwheel after scoring a goal in the Premiership,
and it was nice to get half an hour on the pitch," added Keane.
"I know I haven't started a game for a while, and I've not played
as many matches as I would like to, but I'm not the manager so there's
not a lot I can do about that. Of course there is frustration in not
starting, particularly as I know I'm playing well for Ireland and playing
well for Leeds when I come. "Obviously, no-one wants to be on the
bench. As a footballer you want to be playing football. That's your
job, but the last couple of months I haven't been playing. But I feel
good and I feel sharp, and I will just have to keep doing what I'm doing.
Hopefully my goal yesterday, and what I did when I came on, will maybe
get me a start."
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