Bowyer buoys Leeds with double strike

Leeds United 4 Lokomotiv Moscow 1

Leeds United 4 Lokomotiv Moscow 1

Even David O'Leary feared Lokomotiv Moscow might prick Leeds' bubble last night but such is the vibrant belief coursing through his team they swept the Russians aside. Top of the Premiership, they will carry what should be a decisive advantage going into the away leg of this Uefa Cup second-round tie.

Lee Bowyer, an insistent source of creation and danger from the right of midfield, scored twice and Alan Smith and Harry Kewell got the others to take Leeds' run of successive victories to a club record 10. And this from a team continually described as young and naïve by their manager. The only blot on the evening was an away goal scored by Dmitri Loskov nine minutes from the end.

Maybe it is a piece of kidology, but O'Leary has been downplaying the Uefa Cup for almost as long as Leeds have been in it. He does not like the new format where Champions' League rejects join in at the third-round stage and as a consequence has written off his club's chances. "I don't believe we have the squad to win it," he wrote in last night's programme, "but then I don't think Uefa wants us to."

Part of O'Leary's scepticism might have been attributed to the side that Leeds were paired with, because he returned from a reconnaissance trip in Russia singing the praises of Lokomotiv, who have reached the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup in the last two seasons.

From the start it was obvious just why O'Leary had been impressed, because the Russians showed some delightful touches, particularly from Alexei Smertin and Loskov, and if they had a more mobile striker than the rotund Zaza Dznashia, their quick, one-touch approach play might have spread more alarm in the home defence than it did.

Instead it was Leeds who created the clearer chances and they would have taken the lead after four minutes if Jonathon Woodgate had reacted more quickly when Ian Harte's corner cleared Bowyer's attempt at a header. The ball hit Woodgate's knee rather than his boot, however, and Ruslan Nigamtoulline saved by his right-hand post.

Michael Bridges turned delightfully to lose his man and shoot narrowly wide across the goal after 24 minutes but it was Bowyer's runs from midfield that Lokomotiv were finding hard to track. Nigamtoulline got something on Bowyer's 27th-minute effort but his save was merely a prelude to the ball entering the net. Stephen McPhail's free-kick was headed across the goal by Bridges and when Woodgate passed it back the England Under-21 midfielder lashed it in from eight yards.

The Russians adjusted their attack by withdrawing the obviously overweight Dznashia, but their best response came from a defender, Aleksei Arifullin, whose 35-yard shot curled over Nigel Martyn and against the bar. They were unlucky and paid for it just before half-time with another goal from Bowyer. This time he was creator and finisher, sweeping the ball to the left flank and then racing to meet Bridges' cross with a deft header across Nigamtoulline and into the net.

If Leeds thought the match was over they got an awakening a minute into the second half when, if it had not been for Martyn, their lead could have disappeared with two crashing shots from the boot of Loskov.

The first was with his right foot and although his free-kick was at least 35 yards out the Leeds goalkeeper had to leap high to his left to tip it over the bar. Fifteen seconds later, and it was Loskov's left foot that was threatening to burst the net and again Martyn had to dive across his goal to divert the ball away with his fingertips.

The momentum was with Lokomotiv but it was halted after 56 minutes by Leeds' third goal. Kewell's cross from the left was missed by everyone, Kelly returned it from the opposite flank and, after Bridges had challenged Nigamtoulline, Smith reacted in a flash with an overhead kick.

Leeds United (4-4-2): Martyn; Kelly, Woodgate, Radebe, Harte; Bowyer, McPhail, Batty, Kewell; Smith, Bridges (Huckerby, 61). Substitutes not used: Haaland, Hopkin, Mills, Bakke, Jones, Robinson (gk).

Lokomotiv Moscow (4-4-1-1): Nigamtoulline; Lavrik, Arifullin, Chugainov, Pashinin (Hovhannisyan, 60); Sarkisyan (Maminov, 75), Smertin, Drozdov, Kharlachev; Loskov; Dzanashia (Boulykin, 38). Substitutes not used: Solomatin, Semenenko, Neretine, Poliakov (gk).

Referee: W Stark (Ger).