Viduka double pushes Leeds towards safety

Leeds United 2 Fulham

Mark Viduka, maddeningly lethargic at times this season, picked the perfect occasion to produce his lethal best last night, scoring early in each half to lift Leeds above Fulham on goal difference and to the brink of safety from relegation from the Premiership.

An emphatic header and a rasping drive took Viduka's haul to 19 for the season and 11 in his last seven matches. A well-timed return to form, it would appear, although Peter Reid tempered his praise for the Australian with an unusual complaint.

"Mark's a fantastic footballer but his timekeeping leaves a lot to be desired," Leeds' caretaker manager said. "He was late into training on Monday and again arriving at the ground. I wasn't pleased with him, so I dragged him into my office, gave him a rollicking and told him he owed me a couple of goals. Fortunately, he delivered."

Viduka's late-season surge can only have enhanced Reid's prospects of landing the Elland Road manager's job on a more permanent basis. More pertinently, this victory took Leeds to within one win of safety. They now stand six points clear of 18th-placed West Ham, to whose sadly incapacitated manager, Glenn Roeder, Reid sent his best wishes.

A similarly galvanised Harry Kewell almost made it 3-0 with a shot against the post with 13 minutes left, but Fulham, having edged up to 41 points on Saturday, had already accepted defeat. Louis van Gaal, the former Ajax and Barcelona coach who was interviewed for their vacancy yesterday, would not have been impressed.

Their performance was bereft of any sense of urgency or desire. Chris Coleman, having taken the reins on a temporary basis following the departure of Jean Tigana last week, spoke of a "comedy of errors" for the first goal and warned that Fulham could still be sucked into trouble if they played so half-heartedly again.

Less than two years after Leeds contested a place in the European Cup final with Valencia, it seemed scarcely credible that a side staffed by 11 players who took part in that campaign were effectively playing to preserve the club's top-flight status.

A year on from the Valencia defeat, Fulham's 1-0 win in the corresponding game marked the beginning of the end for David O'Leary's tenure. Now the sides reconvened, on a balmy evening of almost tangible tension, under the temporary stewardship of Reid and Coleman. Fulham's stand-in manager had reaped an instant dividend against Newcastle on Saturday, and the way Leeds began the match suggested that they were intent on securing their own safety.

Their early verve was rewarded by a goal with less than four minutes played. Kewell, operating on the right of midfield, won a corner which Gary Kelly swung into the six-yard box, where Viduka rose unchallenged to head home.

Fulham suffered a further setback when Martin Djétou pulled up lame. Zat Knight was soon in the thick of things, using the top flight's longest legs to prevent Viduka's pass reaching the unmarked Alan Smith 10 minutes before half-time.

By then, Fulham had edged back into the game, pouring forward from midfield in support of Elvis Hammond, their lone striker, but failing to test Paul Robinson. Coleman sent on Barry Hayles for the second half in place of Junichi Inamoto, who had contrived to make Ian Harte look quick as he swept past the Japanese midfielder. The newcomer had barely touched the ball, however, before Leeds again struck swiftly and decisively.

Viduka sent Kewell tearing through the centre. Knight and Jon Harley slid in from either side, forcing the Leeds man to shoot hurriedly against the onrushing Maik Taylor. Unfortunately for the Fulham goalkeeper, Viduka followed up to thrash the loose ball into the net from just inside the penalty area.

Leeds United (4-4-2): Robinson 6; Mills 6, Duberry 7, Matteo 6, Harte 6; Kewell 7, Kelly 6, Bakke 6, Wilcox 6; Viduka 8, Smith 6. Substitutes not used: Raul Bravo, Barmby, Kilgallon, Simon Johnson, Martyn (gk).

Fulham (4-5-1): Taylor 7; Finnan 5, Melville 5, Djétou 4 (Knight 6, 10), Harley 5; Inamoto 2, (Hayles 3, h-t), Legwinski 6, Davis 7, Clark 6, Boa Morte 4; Hammond 4. Substitutes not used: Sava, Collins, Herrera (gk).

Referee: N Barry (Scunthorpe) 7.