Tag Archives: diouf

El Hadji Diouf agrees 18-month contract at Leeds in deal that will see controversial forward top wage United bill

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Diouf agrees 18-month contract at Leeds in deal that will see controversial forward top wage United bill

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UPDATED:

17:31 GMT, 14 December 2012

El Hadji-Diouf has signed an 18 month contract extension with Leeds United.

It is understood that the new deal will make Diouf one the club's highest earning players, as revealed by Sportsmail, representing a significant raise from his current cut-price contract of 5,000 per week.

Leeds will be relieved to have secured the new deal, as Diouf would have been able to leave the club for nothing in January with his contract set to expire in January.

Senegal striker Diouf, 31, who will line up against Ipswich at home tomorrow, joined Leeds in August and has impressed manager Neil Warnock, contributing five goals in his 24 appearances since signing for the Elland Road side.

Gone clubbing: Leeds United's Senegal striker El Hadji Diouf is now at his seventh British club having agreed an 18-month deal at Elland Road

Gone clubbing: Leeds United's Senegal striker El Hadji Diouf, here letting fly against Southampton in the Capitasl One Cup, is now at his seventh British club having agreed an 18-month deal at Elland Road

Boss Neil Warnock told leedsunited.com: 'We're
delighted he's agreed everything and hopefully he'll enjoy the next 18 months
with us.

'Obviously it's a massive boost for everyone to know
we're going to have him around and this is what we've wanted to do.

'He's a match-winning player, and there aren't many of
them around.

'He's a player who can change a game and I'm delighted
we've been able to keep him.

'He's also fitted in really well, and he's been great
with the lads.'

The 31-year-old has scored five goals in 24 appearances for
the Whites after joining in the summer.

Key man: El Hadji Diouf looks to have earned an extended stay at Leeds

Key man: El Hadji Diouf looks to have earned an extended stay at Leeds

The controversial forward, who has often found his name in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, will now remain at Leeds until June 2014.

Diouf’s relative success at Leeds has been surprising, given the nature of his relationship with Leeds boss Warnock.

Former QPR boss Warnock famously launched an attack on Diouf, branding the forward a ‘sewer rat’ during his time at Blackburn after claiming he abused Ranger’s Jamie Mackie as he lay on the pitch with a broken leg in an FA Cup clash in January 2011.

However, it now seems that the two have patched up their differences, with Diouf remaining at Leeds for the foreseeable future.

El Hadji Diouf to sign new Leeds deal

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Diouf to pen new deal at Leeds after impressive start to life at Elland Road

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UPDATED:

22:28 GMT, 26 November 2012

Leeds are ready to reward El Hadji Diouf with a new contract that will put him among the top earners at the club.

The 31-year-old, who has impressed at Elland Road but is out of contract in January, met the club’s new owners on Saturday.

His agent Willie McKay said: ‘We have spoken to the chief executive Shaun Harvey and we hope to have something sorted soon.’

Key man: El Hadji Diouf looks to have earned an extended stay at Leeds

Key man: El Hadji Diouf looks to have earned an extended stay at Leeds

Leeds Crystal Palace match report:

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Leeds 2 Crystal Palace 1: Becchio and Green put on a show for new owners GFH Capital

By
Wayne Gardiner

PUBLISHED:

17:27 GMT, 24 November 2012

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UPDATED:

17:27 GMT, 24 November 2012

Leeds manager Neil Warnock delivered on his promise that the season started today as his side kicked off their new era by ending Crystal Palace's 14-game unbeaten run.

After six months of negotiations, United were this week bought by GFH Capital, and Warnock, having said anyone could have done his job for the first four cash-strapped months of the season, claimed today was the first day of his pursuit of a record-setting eighth promotion.

And, although the goals scored by Luciano Becchio and Paul Green do not mask the fact Leeds had gone seven without a win prior to today, leaving them far from Premier League material, this was as good a start as they and GFH could have wished for.

Starting today: Leeds United ended Palace's 14-game unbeaten run

Starting today: Leeds United ended Palace's 14-game unbeaten run

MATCH FACTS

Leeds: Kenny, Byram, Tate, Lees, Peltier, Green, Tonge, Norris,
Thomas (Poleon 75), Diouf (McCormack 82), Becchio,
Poleon (Brown 90).

Subs Not Used: Ashdown, White, Gray, Hall.

Booked: Tonge.

Goals: Becchio 52, Green 76.

Crystal Palace: Speroni, Ward (Wilbraham 90), Ramage, Delaney, Parr, Zaha, Jedinak, Dikgacoi, Garvan (Moritz 65), Bolasie (Easter 68), Murray.

Subs Not Used: Price, Moxey, O'Keefe, Gabbidon.

Booked: Delaney, Murray.

Goal: Ramage 86.

Att: 20,964

Ref: David Coote (Nottinghamshire).

Championship results, tables and fixtures

Equally, a first defeat since their
Capital One Cup defeat to Preston on August 28 does not spell disaster
for Palace, although Cardiff's win at Barnsley means top spot is no
longer theirs.

Manager Ian Holloway, for whom this
was a first loss since his switch from Blackpool, will point to two
contentious penalty decisions which went against England winger Wilfried
Zaha but, short of Peter Ramage's late goal, his men were undone by a
side revelling in front of playing in front of their new owners.

GFH have promised investment in
January but it was one of the players they brought in on loan yesterday,
Jerome Thomas, who took the fight to Palace early on, skinning Joel
Ward and firing in a cross which nearly led to danger.

Leeds fed off Thomas' energy and soon
Becchio was denied by Julian Speroni in the Palace goal, before the
Argentinean stopper, a summer target of Warnock, did brilliantly to get
down low and keep out David Norris after a bursting run from the
midfielder.

After failing to land Speroni,
Warnock tied up a deal for another of his old foot soldiers, Paddy
Kenny, and he was then called into action at the other end, getting the
slightest touch to an across-goal drive from Zaha, who outmuscled Sam
Byram to get a shot in.

Impressed: Leeds director Salem Patel cheered as one of the goals went in for his new club

Impressed: Leeds director Salem Patel cheered as one of the goals went in for his new club

He then got to work behind a routine
drive from Owen Garvan, before a brilliant double save kept his side
level. First he flung himself to his left to palm away Jonathan Parr's
curler, leaving the goal open in the process. He was up quickly, though,
shutting down Glenn Murray who looked a safe bet to grab his 16th of
the season from six yards.

Zaha was Palace's most dangerous
player – far too strong for opposite number Byram – and the two were
involved in a flashpoint on the stroke of half-time, with the former not
getting the penalty he courted after appearing to be tripped.

Fortunately for him, he received no caution for his subsequent shoving of Norris.

There was no doubt Palace had ended
the first half the better but seven minutes into the second half, they
were behind, owing largely to Ramage's failure to clear his lines. After
Lee Peltier's cross was nodded across goal by Paul Green, the
experienced defender headed it against his own man, Mile Jedinak,
allowing Becchio to pounce from two yards.

Palace's attempts at a response
inevitably went through Zaha who again thought he had claims on a
penalty when he and Byram became entangled for a second time, although
the best chances fell in Leeds' favour, with Norris drilling over after a
Byram cross fell kindly for him.

A second Leeds goal would arrive,
though, with Green's 75th-minute sweet back-post volley – after Alan
Tate's punt forward fell to him – deflecting beyond Speroni's reach.

Thinking the game was done, Warnock
sent on Ross McCormack for a first home appearance in almost three
months following injury, but Leeds were given a reality check with five
minutes left when Ramage dived to head in Kagisho Dikgacoi's cross.

With five minutes of time added
Palace had a chance to get a second, but the closest they came was
Michael Tonge booting off his own line following a scramble, and Leeds
held on.

Leeds 1 Watford 6: match report

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Leeds 1 Watford 6: Nine men gunned down by six-shooting loan rangers

By
Wayne Gardiner

PUBLISHED:

17:42 GMT, 10 November 2012

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UPDATED:

17:42 GMT, 10 November 2012

Watford's army of loan rangers combined deliver a fourth away win of the season as they ran riot at Elland Road on what proved to be another depressing afternoon for Leeds.

Frustrated: Leeds manager Neil Warnock

Frustrated: Leeds manager Neil Warnock

Hornets manager Gianfranco Zola has assembled a side largely made up of players borrowed from Udinese but, regardless of their origin, they clearly have more than enough ability to make an impression in the Championship.

The caveat to this win was that the
goals they scored from Matej Vydra, Almen Abdi, Mark Yeates, Sean Murray
and Troy Deeney all came after Leeds had been reduced to nine men, but
prior to that they had still looked the better side, having gone ahead
through Vydra.

Leeds did score a penalty through
Michael Tonge but having lost Jason Pearce to a first-half red card and
Rodolph Austin to injury after all their substitutions had been made,
were made to suffer for the best part of an hour.

Now without a league win in six,
they and manager Neil Warnock remain at the mercy of the takeover of the
club by GFH Capital which is close to entering its seventh month.

Match facts

LEEDS: Kenny, Austin, Peltier, Pearce, Byram, Green (Lees 45), Norris, Tonge, White (Brown 46), Diouf (Hall 46), Varney. Subs not used: Ashdown, Kisnorbo, Becchio, Dawson.

Goals: Tonge (80, pen)

Sent off: Pearce

Booked: Peltier, Byram, Norris, Varney

WATFORD: Almunia, Doyley, Hoban, Ekstrand, Anya, Abdi (Hogg 68), Cassetti, Smith (Murray 81), Yeates, Geijo (Deeney 80), Vydra. Subs not used: Bond, Thompson, Chalobah, Forestieri.

Goals: Vydra 28, 83, Deeney 90+9, Abdi 61, Yeates 75, Murray 90+5

Booked: Ekstrand, Yeates

Referee: T Kettle

Att: 19,104

Click here for latest Championship results, fixtures and table

With an already-thin squad at his disposal, Warnock cut a forlorn figure throughout.

Well-placed sources on both sides of
deal insist it remains on track but regardless of whether it does or
not, it will not be as smooth a transaction as the one which saw Watford
bought out in the summer, allowing them to embark on their recruitment
drive.

They are now back in amongst the
play-off contenders and, having weathered an early storm which saw David
Norris hit the post following a six-man move, were too quick and
ultimately too good for their hosts.

Goalkeeper
Manuel Almunia was only tested once – when Luke Varney spurned a
one-on-one chance – and with Leeds keeping a high line in order to
attempt to exert pressure, they were easy pickings Watford's nippy front
three of Vydra, Anya and Abdi.

They demonstrated that in the 27th
minute when they opened the scoring, with Alex Geijo collecting the ball
on the break just inside the Leeds half and promptly sending a pass
ahead for Vydra to chase.

There was only one winner in his
footrace with Lee Peltier but his chance still needed finishing,
something he did with a clinical edge-of-the-box drive.

One could quite easily have been two
after that, with Abdi first shooting at Paddy Kenny after a ball came
loose, before the same player turned Pearce inside out and dragged a
shot across Kenny's bows and wide.

The home side were simply unable to
handle the speed with which Watford were attacking them and on the
stroke of half-time, they again paid the price.

El-Hadji Diouf's pass sold Pearce
shot and as Abdi nipped in to rob possession, the former Portsmouth
defender poleaxed him and was duly dismissed by referee Trevor Kettle.

Warnock's response was to make three
changes by the time the second half had started, but his cavalier
approach came back to haunt him two minutes after it when Austin went
down in a heap and had to be carried off, leaving United to carry on
with nine men.

It was open practice for Watford
after that and after a couple of sighters they doubled their lead on the
hour when Abdi dragged a 20-yard shot beyond Kenny and into the bottom
corner.

Against slim numbers it was hard to
gauge how good Watford were playing but there was no doubting the
quality of their third – a brilliant 25-yard free-kick from Yeates which
again gave Kenny no chance.

Somehow, Leeds got on the scoresheet
themselves in the 79th minute when Varney was upended by Joel Ekstrand,
allowing Tonge to score his fourth of the season, but it was a mere blip
for Watford.

With eight minutes left Vydra coolly
chipped a counter-attack second after an excellent ball from Anya and
then, deep into the 10 minutes of added time, Murray placed a 25-yard
drive beyond Kenny.

That appeared to have rounded things
off but there was still more time for Watford to score again, Deeney
replicating Murray's effort.

Leeds United in talks to capture Cameron Jerome on loan from Stoke

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United front: Leeds in talks to capture Cameron Jerome on loan from Stoke

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UPDATED:

14:15 GMT, 9 November 2012

Leeds United are poised to bolster their forward line with talks to sign Cameron Jerome from Stoke City on loan.

The 26-year-old was due to join Blackburn last month but the deal stalled over the payment of his wages.

Blackburn had hoped to pay a percentage of his 25,000 a week salary but Stoke anticipated Henning Berg's club paying all of the wage.

United front: Cameron Jerome runs to the Stoke benchafter celebrating his goal against Everton last season

United front: Cameron Jerome runs to the Stoke benchafter celebrating his goal against Everton last season

Leeds are hoping to negotiate a deal with Stoke today as manager Neil Warnock is eager to strengthen his attacking options and keep pace with the promotion chasers.

While the club's takeover inches closer there remain concerns over the future of players such as El Hadji Diouf who is out of contract in January and so far unable to agree terms on a new deal.

El of a signing: El Hadji Diouf (left) celebrates with Luke Varney after scoring the first goal for Leeds from the penalty spot at Brighton last week

El of a signing: El Hadji Diouf (left) celebrates with Luke Varney after scoring the first goal for Leeds from the penalty spot at Brighton last week

Jerome joined Stoke for 4m from Birmingham last year but does not have the greatest goalscoring record over recent months. However, he has spent most of the time playing as an impact sub for Stoke while his workrate is undoubted.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis has Peter Crouch, Jon Walters and Kenwyne Jones at his disposal and, although Michael Owen is struggling to shake off hamstring concerns, he believes he can afford to let Jerome go on loan until January.

Brighton 1 Peterborough 0 – match report

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Burnley 1 Leeds United 0: Austin nets 20th of the season as Warnock's men falter

By
Richard Gibson

PUBLISHED:

23:25 GMT, 6 November 2012

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UPDATED:

23:25 GMT, 6 November 2012

Charlie Austin headed his 20th goal of the season late in the game to seal a second successive npower Championship win for Burnley's new manager Sean Dyche.

Former Swindon striker Austin, who has scored in all but three of his 17 appearances for Burnley this season, broke the deadlock in the 83rd minute when he headed home defender Kieran Trippier's cross.

Dyche, installed as Eddie Howe's successor at Turf Moor last week, saw his new side canter to victory over Wolves at the weekend and inspired them to a fourth win in their last five league games thanks to the prolific Austin.

Heads up: Charlie Austin scored his 20th goal of what has been an excellent season for him

Heads up: Charlie Austin scored his 20th goal of what has been an excellent season for him

Match facts

Burnley: Grant, Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Mee (Lafferty 59), Marney, Stock (Vokes 64), McCann, Wallace, Austin, Paterson.

Subs Not Used: Jensen, Ings, Stanislas, Bartley, Edgar.

Booked: Marney.

Goals: Austin 83.

Leeds: Kenny, White (Varney 86), Peltier, Pearce, Drury (Pugh 81), Byram, Brown, Austin, Tonge, Diouf, Becchio.

Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Kisnorbo, Green, Norris, Gray.

Booked: Drury.

Att: 14,470

Ref: Geoff Eltringham (Tyne & Wear).

Latest Championship results, fixtures and table

Burnley leapfrogged the visitors into
10th place in the table, while Leeds, without a win in their last five
league matches, have slipped into the bottom half of the table.

Burnley midfielder Chris McCann
started in place of defender David Edgar, while Leeds recalled
right-back Adam Drury and 11-goal leading scorer Luciano Becchio.

Leeds goalkeeper Paddy Kenny made a
superb early double save, first keeping out Ross Wallace's 20-yard shot
at full stretch and then blocking Dean Marney's follow-up, while the
visitors had to wait until the 13th minute for their first effort on
goal when El-Hadji Diouf's shot from inside the penalty area was
deflected for a corner.

Burnley striker Martin Paterson
lashed a shot from the edge of the area straight at Kenny in the 29th
minute, while Diouf spurned a gilt-edged chance at the other end 60
seconds later, pulling his shot wide from 12 yards.

Burnley threatened twice in quick succession to break the deadlock towards the end of the first half.

Defender Kieran Trippier's powerful
drive forced Kenny into a fumbling save and from the subsequent corner
Austin fired his shot from inside the area straight at Kenny.

Kenny dealt comfortably with McCann's
shot from outside the area and Wallace's long-range free-kick early in
the second half, and Leeds responded through Rodolph Austin, who fired
in an angled shot from 20 yards before Burnley defender Ben Mee was
forced off injured and replaced by Danny Lafferty in the 59th minute.

Leeds were enjoying their best spell
of the game when winger Aidy White forced Burnley goalkeeper Lee Grant
to spill the ball with a venomous shot from the edge of the area, with
midfielder Michael Brown's effort blocked by home defender Jason
Shackell soon after.

Austin tested Grant again from
outside the box in the 68th minute and finally broke the deadlock in the
83rd minute, heading sweetly into the bottom corner from Trippier's
fine right-wing cross.

Leeds defender Jason Pearce went
close to snatching an equaliser from close range in the 89th minute
following Brown's free-kick, but Burnley held on to register their first
win over Leeds in six matches.

Leeds 3 Southampton 0 match report: Michael Tonge, El Hadji Diouf, Luciano Becchio score

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Leeds 3 Southampton 0: Adkins' kids are given a Tonge lashing as United power on

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UPDATED:

21:50 GMT, 30 October 2012

Nigel Adkins fielded an entirely new Southampton starting line-up and was made to pay as a vibrant Leeds put his Barclays Premier League strugglers to the sword in the Capital One Cup at Elland Road.

Not only did the under-pressure Southampton manager make 11 changes, he named six teenagers on the bench, in a selection policy that said everything about where the League Cup ranks compared to his desperation to keep his lowly side in the top flight.

No mistake: Michael Tonge opens the scoring after 35 minutes

No mistake: Michael Tonge opens the scoring after 35 minutes

On target: Tonge

Match facts

Leeds: Ashdown, Peltier (Pugh 90), Lees, Pearce, White, /10/30/article-2225442-15C3EF1D000005DC-735_634x465.jpg” width=”634″ height=”465″ alt=”You can't handle the Diouf: El Hadji gets a shot away ” class=”blkBorder” />

You can't handle the Diouf: El Hadji gets a shot away

Getting close: Leeds' Luke Varney shares a moment with ref Chris Foy

Getting close: Leeds' Luke Varney shares a moment with ref Chris Foy

Not only did they beat a path to the
Southampton area, in a lively opening, they carved out enough clear-cut
chances to have made the game safe before half time.

None was clearer than the one Varney
managed to squander from point-blank range that must surely count as one
of the misses of the season.

Overseeing matters: Neil Warnock watches on at Elland Road

Overseeing matters: Neil Warnock watches on at Elland Road

Shake on it: Michael Brown congratulates Tonge after the opener

Shake on it: Michael Brown congratulates Tonge after the opener

Aidan White’s 14th-minute chip
towards the far post was hooked back across the area by El Hadji Diouf
towards the lurking Varney, who looked as though he could not miss from
no more than two yards.

Incredibly, as he stretched out a boot, Varney
only succeeded in knocking the ball back across the six-yard box to a
startled Diouf, whose scuffed effort bobbled wide.

Outnumbered: Leeds' Michael Brown and Rodolph Austin take on Richard Chaplow

Outnumbered: Leeds' Michael Brown and Rodolph Austin take on Richard Chaplow

Adkins’ wholesale changes were there
to be exploited, and Leeds did not hold back, as they continued to pick
holes in a makeshift Southampton defence.

Tonge failed to score with a
close-range header that sailed over from the overlapping Sam /10/30/article-2225442-15C40188000005DC-842_634x445.jpg” width=”634″ height=”445″ alt=”Slide rule: Southampton's Guly Do Prado tackles Aidan White” class=”blkBorder” />

Slide rule: Southampton's Guly Do Prado tackles Aidan White

Latching on to a /10/30/article-2225442-15C3FEE8000005DC-549_634x408.jpg” width=”634″ height=”408″ alt=”Breaking away: Leeds' Luke Varney skips away from Daniel Seaborne” class=”blkBorder” />

Breaking away: Leeds' Luke Varney skips away from Daniel Seaborne

Varney cleverly tricked his way to
the bye-line on the left and tried to cut the ball back for Diouf. An
outstretched leg prevented it reaching its target, but the reprieve
proved shortlived, as Tonge seized on the loose ball and fired it
through a ruck of players to put Leeds in front.

Southampton had been a shambles throughout the first half and there was little sign of improvement at the start of the second.

Jos Hooiveld summed up the disarray that ran through the Southampton ranks by pulling Varney back to concede a needless free-kick in a central position 20 yards out.

Fortunately for the centre-back, Diouf wasted the opportunity by ballooning the kick yards over.
Leeds made the tie safe in the 88th minute, following a stunning run by Austin that took him past two defenders. Though a sprawling save by Davis denied him, Diouf was on hand to force home the loose ball.

Steven Gerrard is selfish at Liverpool, says El Hadji Diouf

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Gerrard is selfish… he would rather score and Liverpool lose, claims Diouf

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UPDATED:

11:55 GMT, 19 October 2012

El Hadji Diouf has launched an astonishing attack on Steven Gerrard – claiming the Liverpool captain is selfish.

Diouf has burned his bridges at almost every club he's been at and the controversial striker can certainly forget about returning to Anfield.

Now at Leeds, the 31-year-old forward played for the Reds between 2002 and 2004.

Shooting his mouth off: El Hadji Diouf has let rip about Steven Gerrard

Shooting his mouth off: El Hadji Diouf has let rip about Steven Gerrard

Diouf told L'Equipe: 'Gerrard was jealous of me back then as I had the world at my feet. There's no one more selfish… he doesn't care about anyone else.

'Gerrard would rather Liverpool lost and he scored. The old Liverpool guys can't stand him. I won't even start with [Jamie] Carragher.'

During his Liverpool days Diouf was banned and fined for spitting at a Celtic fan during a UEFA Cup tie at Parkhead.

Kop idol: Liverpool skipper Gerrard has been singled out by Diouf

Kop idol: Liverpool skipper Gerrard has been singled out by Diouf

Diouf is now strutting his stuff as captain of Leeds in the Championship for a manager, Neil Warnock, who once labelled him a sewer rat.

His other clubs include Sochaux, Rennes, Lens, Bolton, Sunderland, Blackburn, Rangers and Doncaster but despite the many moves, Diouf has no doubts when it comes to his own ability.

He added: 'I once took a private jet with Maradona. He shook my hand and told me he'd enjoyed (watching me play). That makes me happy.'

Senegal capped Diouf 69 times and he said: 'Back in Senegal, I'm a demi god. People went and burned tyres simply because I wasn't picked for the play-off against Ivory Coast.'

Remember me: Diouf was Gerrard's Liverpool team-mate from 2002 to 2004

Remember me: Diouf was Gerrard's Liverpool team-mate from 2002 to 2004

Leeds 1 Barnsley 0: Match report

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Leeds 1 Barnsley 0: Becchio's spot on after contentious penalty call

By
Sportsmail Reporter

PUBLISHED:

16:20 GMT, 6 October 2012

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UPDATED:

16:43 GMT, 6 October 2012

Luciano Becchio's controversial first-half penalty clinched Leeds their fourth win in five npower Championship matches and a first success against Yorkshire rivals Barnsley in seven attempts.

Becchio notched his ninth goal of the season with an audacious chip down the middle in the 42nd minute despite furious protests from Barnsley players, who felt Leeds skipper Lee Peltier had been fouled by Tykes defender Stephen Foster outside the box.

TV replays clearly showed this to be the case and a deflated Barnsley side, dominant for long periods in the first half, never properly recovered.

Match-winner: Luciano Becchio scored the decisive penalty

Match-winner: Luciano Becchio scored the decisive penalty

MATCH FACTS

Leeds: Kenny, Byram, Lees, Pearce, Peltier, Brown, Austin, Tonge (Norris 54min),White, Becchio (Gray 72min), Diouf.

Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Drury, Green, Varney, Poleon.

Goals: Becchio 42 pen.

Barnsley: Alnwick, Stones, Foster (Hassell 46min), Wiseman, Golbourne, Dawson, Perkins, Mellis, Cywka (Etuhu 69min), Davies, Harewood (Dagnall 67).

Subs Not Used: Steele,Done,Clark,Kennedy.

Att: 22,569

Ref: Darren Deadman (Cambridgeshire).

Click here for the latest npower Championship results, fixtures and table

Leeds, outplayed before the break,
were much stronger after the interval in a game of few goalscoring
chances and climbed up to seventh place in the table after stretching
their unbeaten league run to five matches.

Barnsley, last beaten by their
Yorkshire rivals in an FA Cup clash in 2001, have taken only one point
from three matches since rattling five past Birmingham live on
television at the end of last month.

Manager Keith Hill will have been heartened by what he saw in the opening 20 minutes.

But aside from a long-range shot from
David Perkins that whistled over the crossbar and an angled volley from
midfielder Jacob Mellis, the Tykes had little to show for their early
dominance on the ground where they triumphed 2-1 last season.

Barnsley continued to stretch their
opponents, albeit without creating any clearcut chances, and Leeds fans
had to wait until the 27th minute before their side's first effort on
goal.

El-Hadji Diouf swung over a brilliant cross from the right and Becchio rose highest to power a header just off target.

Leeds began to wrestle back an equal
share of possession as the first half progressed and midfielder Rudy
Austin rifled an angled shot over the crossbar.

Barnsley striker Craig Davies saw his
effort from the edge of the penalty area blocked by Leeds defender Tom
Lees and Marlon Harewood pulled his low drive wide.

But Leeds stole into the lead three
minutes before the break courtesy of referee Darren Deadman's
controversial penalty decision.

Barnsley's players felt Foster's foul
on Peltier had occurred outside the area, but Deadman pointed to the
spot and Becchio out-foxed goalkeeper Ben Alnwick with a deft chip
straight down the middle.

The Argentinian has scored in all five of Leeds' league games at Elland Road this season.

Barnsley defender Foster suffered a
recurrence of his back injury and was replaced by Bobby Hassell at
half-time, which did little to ease the visitors' sense of injustice.

Leeds midfielder Michael Tonge was
forced off through injury soon after and replaced by David Norris, who
made his first appearance in seven matches.

Chances remained at a premium as the
second half unfolded. Austin's speculative 25-yard effort was
comfortably gathered by Alnwick before opposite number Paddy Kenny
denied the visitors an equaliser.

Harewood's close-range header from
Mellis' 62nd-minute corner appeared goalbound, but Kenny saved superbly
at full stretch to keep Leeds' noses in front.
Keith Hill sent on Chris Dagnall and
Kelvin Etuhu for Harewood and Tomasz Cywka with 20 minutes left and
former Barnsley striker Andy Gray replaced Becchio shortly later, but
neither side mustered another chance and Leeds held on to their slender
advantage.

Bolton 2 Leeds United 2

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Bolton 2 Leeds United 2: Evergreen Davies rescues point for under-fire boss Coyle

By
Dominic King

PUBLISHED:

21:21 GMT, 2 October 2012

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UPDATED:

22:33 GMT, 2 October 2012

The welcomed back a cult figure but, in the end, they were indebted to an old hero.

Bolton fans may have enjoyed seeing El Hadji Diouf return on Tuesday night but, ultimately, they were more grateful for Kevin Davies.

Having spent four years with Bolton, the controversial Senegal forward was made Leeds captain for the trip to the Reebok and, for much of a frantic game, it looked an inspired choice as he created one goal for Sam Byram and started the move that ended with Luciano Becchio converting a penalty.

Main man: Kevin Davies scored twice to earn Bolton a draw against Leeds

Main man: Kevin Davies scored twice to earn Bolton a draw against Leeds

Match facts

Bolton: Bogdan, Mears, Mills, Knight, Warnock, Mark Davies, Andrews, Spearing (Petrov 62), Eagles, Kevin Davies, Afobe (Sordell 72).

Subs Not Used: Lonergan, Ream, Ricketts, Pratley, Lee.

Booked: Kevin Davies, Spearing.

Goals: Kevin Davies 14, 79.

Leeds: Kenny, Lees, Pearce, Peltier, Drury, Byram, Austin, Brown, Tonge,
Diouf, Becchio.

Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Varney, White, Norris, Gray, Thompson, Poleon.

Booked: Peltier, Brown.

Goals: Byram 44, Becchio 50 pen.

Att: 21,255

Ref: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).

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Much to Owen Coyle’s relief, though,
Davies came up trumps when it mattered, scoring two trademark headers to
secure a 2-2 draw to alleviate the pressure that has been building on
his manager. Davies may now be 34 but age is not diminishing his
effectiveness.

‘The skipper epitomised everything about this football club,’ said Coyle.

‘We are disappointed not to take all three points but there was a lot to be positive about. If we keep working hard, we will come through the other side smiling. We just need to keep banging on that door.’

Had the game ended with Diouf inspiring a win, Coyle would have banging his head against a brick wall. He lamented two penalty decisions – one which was not awarded to his side, the other which was given to Leeds – but, more than anything, was left cursing Bolton’s inability to kill off opponents.

‘The level of our play at times was outstanding, probably the best it has been all season,’ said Coyle.

Leveller: Davies heads home his and Bolton's second against Leeds

Leveller: Davies heads home his and Bolton's second against Leeds

Early on it was difficult to argue with the Scot. Bolton outplayed Leeds in the opening stages and quickly made their mark. Chris Eagles was the first to test Paddy Kenny with a shot that was beaten away after 12 minutes but they didn’t have long to wait to poke their noses in front.

In keeping with the way he had started, Eagles was the provider. His wicked corner on 14 minutes picked out Bolton’s club captain in the six yard box and the former England international made no mistake when flashing a header past Kenny.

Leeds found trouble containing the home side and Bolton could easily have been double their advantage in the moments that followed as first Keith Andrews tested Kenny before Eagles smashed a searing drive off the right-hand post from 20 yards.

In front: Leeds looked to be on course for three points until Davies struck

In front: Leeds looked to be on course for three points until Davies struck

Bolton, though, lost their rhythm as the contest became tetchy and attritional with referee Phil Dowd regularly blowing regularly for fouls; the last one he awarded before the break had huge ramifications as Diouf’s set piece was converted by Byram.

That gave Leeds all the impetus they needed and their fine start to the second period was rewarded when Becchio coolly dispatched a penalty after Bolton defender Stephen Warnock had tugged down Byram.

It was the fourth consecutive spot kick Coyle’s team had conceded but, fortunately for him, Davies came good at the death to bullet in a header from substitute Martin Petrov’s corner.

‘’It’s not often you come to Bolton and feel disappointed with a draw,’ said Warnock. ‘It was probably my fault we conceded. I told Rodolph Austin to mark Kevin Davies. He was the wrong man to do it.’