Football: Dash of Dutch inspires Leeds

Leeds United 1 Blackburn Rovers 0

LEEDS LAST night joined the clutch of clubs with four points from the first two Premiership matches, maintaining their recent ascendancy over Blackburn with a dash of double Dutch at Elland Road.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, whose 22 goals in his debut season took him to the World Cup finals with the Netherlands, settled an open contest between two of England's Uefa Cup entrants following an early demonstration of his understanding with his compatriot, Clyde Wijnhard.

Leeds, of course, are not the only side with a revamped attacking partnership. Blackburn paraded the pounds 7.25m capture from Southampton, Kevin Davies, alongside Chris Sutton, whose current value must be at least double the pounds 5.5m Kenny Dalglish once paid for him. But whereas Leeds have reaped an instant dividend from a duo who cost George Graham all of pounds 3.5m, Roy Hodgson is still waiting for a goal from any quarter.

Hodgson has invested pounds 16m on new blood since last season - compared with Graham's pounds 3m outlay - and cannot have anticipated such a disappointing start. However, the Blackburn manager argued, with some justification, that their position in the embryonic table does not reflect their positive performances so far. He had left the pounds 5.3m defender, Christian Dailly, on the bench and professed himself pleased with the defending other than on the goal.

Unfortunately, in the all-singing, all-dancing world of Sky, Carling and the rest, a couple of poor results can constitute a crisis, as Graham observed. "In the first month or two, you've got to pick up points. If you don't, the pressure comes on and players can't express themselves."

The Leeds manager was delighted by the rapport between Hasselbaink and Wijnhard, who had played together only once before. While Wijnhard looks a better team player than the departed Rod Wallace, Graham felt that the former Ajax junior would take time to adjust to the "intensity" of English football.

The goal came in the 18th minute. Leeds, for whom Lee Bowyer had almost scored from nearly 40 yards, probed again through Hasselbaink 30 yards out on the Blackburn right.

Hasselbaink twisted away from two Blackburn players and shrugged off a third, Tim Sherwood, with contemptuous ease. After a textbook one-two with Wijnhard, he finished with similar aplomb, his low-angled shot entering the net off John Filan's fingertips.

Blackburn, for whom Davies looked heavier than expected in the second week of the season, had the better chances thereafter. Sebastian Perez, a livelier acquisition, forced an acrobatic save from Nigel Martyn in the second half, although the fact that Leeds' third Dutchman, Robert Molenaar, had slammed a clearance against his own crossbar moments after Hasselbaink's breakthrough summed up their luck.

Hodgson is certainly not getting down-hearted. "Our performance was good apart from some poor defending on the one-two. Were it not for some incredible blocks in their goalmouth, we would have got something."

Yet even in a tight division, Graham can see only four possible winners - last season's leading quartet - unless, he added with a twinkle in his eye, Manchester United or Arsenal "get bogged down in the European Cup".

Leeds United (4-4-2): Martyn; Hiden, Molenaar, Radebe, Harte; Hopkin, Bowyer, Haaland, Kewell; Wijnhard (Sharpe, 83), Hasselbaink. Substitutes not used: Wetherall, Ribeiro, Granville, Beeney (gk).

Blackburn Rovers (4-4-2): Filan; Kenna, Henchoz, Peacock, Davidson; Perez, Flitcroft, Sherwood, Wilcox (Gallacher, 78); Davies (Dahlin, 78), Sutton. Substitutes not used: McKinlay, Dailly, Fettis (gk).

Referee: D Gallagher (Banbury).