Milner damages the Chelsea title dream

Leeds United 2 Chelsea

Tomorrow week, when Terry Venables hits the "Big Six-O", the Leeds United manager may, on a day of reminiscences, reflect on that day 43 years ago when he started out as an impudent, artful midfielder at Stamford Bridge. He was 17 years and one month old, to be precise, when he made his first-team debut against West Ham. He proceeded, of course, to represent England at every level as a player and eventually became the team's head coach.

The question after yesterday was whether we will one day be saying something similar about James Milner. Not 17 until next Saturday, the locally born midfielder who established himself as the Premiership's youngest-ever scorer three days ago (robbing Everton's Wayne Rooney of that distinction by four days), achieved the same again here yesterday when he dispatched Leeds' second goal with the guile and technique of an accomplished veteran.

No wonder his team-mates dashed from all parts of the pitch to envelop him after he had beaten Chelsea's goalkeeper, Ed de Goey, with a glorious strike of the ball from just outside the area. A truly wondrous sight to behold, it epitomised a mature, assured performance during his hour on the pitch which had Leeds supporters almost overlooking the fact that he had also contributed to a famous victory over one of their most avowed rivals.

It means he is already one up on his manager, who clearly believes there is much, much more to come from a player endowed with a far defter touch than Rooney, and who passes thoughtfully and with precision. But compared to his manager? "Phew, he's better than me," enthused Venables. Even as a prodigy of his time, the crafty cockney produced nothing like the immediate impact of Milner.

Sixteen. It should be an age reserved for attempting to ward off the dermatological effects of overactive hormones at the same time as the start of a young man's appreciation for the wonders of the opposite sex. As for football's academy players, like Milner and his fellow pupils, on no more than £80 a week, well, they should be a good two or three years away from the serious matter of first-team football, shouldn't they?

Yet this boy from Horsforth, having given Everton's Rooney serious cause for thought in the battle of the Premiership babes with his equaliser against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Boxing Day, illustrated here that it was no mere opportunistic moment. He already possesses an adult football brain.

Before yesterday, championship aspirants Chelsea had enjoyed a sequence of 11 Premiership games undefeated, and with Leeds having lost six times at home already this season, it had appeared an open invitation for the Londoners to reduce Arsenal's leadership advantage to one point. Certainly Chelsea looked the part for half an hour, but their finishing was woeful, and ultimately Leeds secured victory because of their ability to accept opportunities, with Milner right there in the forefront once Jonathan Woodgate had scored his first goal in two years.

Four games now without defeat will be deemed by Leeds' followers a veritable revival in what has been a wretched season, and much of the reason for yesterday's triumph must be attributed to Venables, who had no compunction in throwing Milner into the fray when Harry Kewell was forced to withdraw with a dead leg. The teenager responded in style. "He's a very special young man," declared Venables. "Intelligent, a good footballer and he can finish. James is a very spirited young fella, too, the kind you want to be associated with your football club."

For Venables' former team it was an afternoon that will swiftly be forgotten. Claudio Ranieri, who has brought a radical thinking to football management, made six changes for the visit of Southampton to Stamford Bridge three days ago. Here again diversity was the Chelsea manager's byword as he made another seven alterations to that starting line-up. They included the omission of former Leeds striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who was left on the bench, and a recall from the beginning for Eidur Gudjohnsen.

The first half was Chelsea's in terms of possession and creative prowess, but Leeds' for their ability to make the most of limited opportunities. In the opening minutes Gianfranco Zola curled a beautifully crafted free-kick just over the bar as Chelsea issued a statement of their attacking intent. In between, Graeme Le Saux, undistracted by traditional abuse from the Leeds faithful, delivered a splendid corner which William Gallas, at the far post, unforgivably headed well wide.

Minutes later Le Saux received an elbow in the face from Alan Smith which went unseen by referee Graham Barber. Considering that the Leeds player was a little later cautioned for a late lunge on Mario Stanic, he was fortunate to still be on the pitch at half-time.

It was 19 minutes before Venables' men troubled De Goey, the Dutch goalkeeper denying Kewell and Smith. Yet, having been secondary to Chelsea for half an hour, Leeds suddenly came good. Gary Kelly's short corner found Jason Wilcox, who centred for Woodgate to head home, though it actually appeared that Gallas made the final contact.

Kewell, carrying an injury, was immediately replaced by Milner, and before the interval the teenage substitute enhanced his already impressive reputation by taking a ball from Eirik Bakke in his stride, creating space for himself on the edge of the area and unleashing a magnificent effort past De Goey. It was some entrance.

After the break, Hasselbaink and Enrique de Lucas replaced Jesper Gronkjaer and Albert Ferrer and Chelsea should at least have pulled one goal back. Their worst miss was when Jody Morris and Gudjohnsen set up De Lucas, who scampered clear, but under the challenge of Woodgate drove wide.

Indeed, it might have been worse for Ranieri's men when Woodgate directed a header just wide of the far post before Mark Viduka narrowly failed to make contact with a diving header. For the last few minutes the home crowd, for once, could relax and relish a rare home win – and the infancy of what appears to be a highly promising career.

Leeds United 2 Chelsea 0
Woodgate 30, Milner 45

Half-time: 2-0 Attendance: 40,122