Venables continues quiet revolution

If Terry Venables was hoping for a low-key return to English football he certainly got one in Leeds's friendly victory at Barnsley yesterday.

It is still two weeks before the Premiership season kicks off but Leeds rarely moved out of first gear in this gentle run-out against Second Division opponents. Danny Mills scored the only goal of the game, strolling through a non-existent Barnsley defence in the 53rd minute to sidefoot his second goal of the pre-season campaign.

Having returned from their tour of Australia and the Far East on Wednesday, Venables was probably not expecting too much from his new charges. Venables installed Olivier Dacourt alongside Jonathan Woodgate in central defence, with Alan Smith and Robbie Keane spearheading a 4-4-2 line-up.

Keane, whose reputation blossomed at the World Cup in June, nearly opened the scoring in the 12th minute after an incisive run. Lee Bowyer had possibly the visitors' best first-half chance but he sliced wide after some good work from Ian Harte.

Yet Barnsley matched their illustrious visitors for much of the game with Kevin Betsy and Mike Sheron wasting golden chances to equalise in the second half. But their goalkeeper, Andy Marriott, kept the home side in the match with some fine saves, none better than in the 67th minute when he blocked Keane's point-blank header and then rose to palm away the striker's follow-up volley.

Everton eased to a 2-0 win at Wrexham with a goal from Tomasz Radzinski and a penalty from their new Brazilian signing Juliano Rodrigo.

Wrexham had the first real chance of the match when Everton's new goalkeeper Richard Wright drilled a clearance straight at Lee Jones. The sprightly ex-Liverpool striker picked up the ball but saw his shot cleared off the line by Peter Clarke.

A slightly flat Everton improved as the game wore on, their young winger Kevin McLeod whipping in a ball on the half-hour which Niclas Alexandersson headed against the bar. Nine minutes later Everton took the lead when Lee Carsley played in Radzinski and the Canadian ran beyond the Wrexham defence and confidently stroked the ball home.

Everton's new Chinese duo came on at half-time for their debuts and quickly made their mark. Li Tie's llong cross found Idan Tal running through and he was tripped by the goalkeeper Paul Whitfield. There was no doubt it was a penalty and Rodrigo swept it home.

Fabien Barthez looks certain to miss Manchester United's match against Serie A side Parma today after picking up a thigh injury during the 2-1 defeat by Ajax on Friday.

The French goalkeeper limped off towards the end of the match at the four-team tournament in Amsterdam to be replaced by the Northern Ireland international Roy Carroll. United's striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has been suffering with a shin complaint, looks likely to play a part in the game against the Italians, as does Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, whose neck injury picked up in training on Thursday has cleared up.