Keane goal sees Leeds misery continue

Leeds 0 Tottenham 1

Leeds are today staring squarely at the prospect of relegation after Robbie Keane scored against his former club.

It is now four successive defeats for caretaker-boss Eddie Gray’s strugglers, with three in the Premier League.

And, to add insult to injury, it was Keane who sunk the Yorkshire side with his third goal in four appearances against Leeds since leaving Elland Road in August 2002 for a cut-price £7m (€10.1m).

The Republic of Ireland international’s 55th-minute winner means Tottenham have now taken six points from their last two matches in four days to revive their own hopes of beating the drop.

The match was as bad as it gets, in particular the first half with Leeds without a win since December 14 and Spurs looking for their first away-day triumph for three months.

Following Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat at Newcastle, supporters had criticised Gray for persisting with a 4-5-1 formation which had served its initial purpose in stemming the tide of goals which had flooded the Leeds net during Peter Reid’s reign.

If ever there was a match Gray should have had the courage of his convictions, then this was it, at Elland Road against a Tottenham team unable to seemingly buy a win or a goal on the road.

But such was Gray’s thinking, he instead chose to recall Nick Barmby for his first start in 10 months, perhaps hoping playing against his old club would have a galvanising effect.

Mark Viduka was again left to forage on his own up front, but it is proving a lonely furrow for the Australia international as the lack of service was glaringly obvious, at least for the opening 45 minutes as he did not reappear after the break.

With David Batty out with an ankle injury and Alan Smith completing a two-match ban, there was no bite to the midfield and so nothing for Viduka to feed on, not that Spurs were able to capitalise.

They had three half-chances before the break with one drive from Keane directed straight at Paul Robinson in the first two minutes.

Robinson then athletically pulled out of the air a looping header from Gary Doherty, before a scare late on when he let slip through his outstretched arms a right-foot slice from Darren Anderton, although was able to recover and claim the loose ball.

Leeds struggled to create anything from open play and were reliant on set pieces, with Jermaine Pennant and Ian Harte both trying their luck with curled free-kicks.

Keane broke the deadlock after 55 minutes, having signalled his intent earlier in the half with a stinging drive which a full-stretch Robinson tipped away before Harte cleared the danger ahead of Fredi Kanoute.

Mauricio Taricco demonstrated some quick thinking with the Argentinian delivering a well-taken free-kick from wide on the left and just inside his own half, the ball dropping over the head of Michael Duberry for Keane.

Keane then held off the attentions of the burly centre-back before flicking a right-foot shot past Robinson from eight yards.

It was his eighth goal of the season, but there was no trademark celebratory cartwheel on this occasion out of respect for his former team-mates.

Gray threw on James Milner and Lamine Sakho in a bid to rescue the situation, with Barmby and Salomon Olembe making way, but it was Spurs who then almost doubled their lead in the 74th minute.

After Stephane Dalmat had robbed Ian Harte of the ball deep inside the Spurs half, he then set off on a run before playing in Kanoute – perhaps playing his last game prior to setting off for the African Nations Cup with Mali – for a fierce right-foot drive which Robinson blocked well.

When Duberry hobbled off down the tunnel, Leeds played the final 10 minutes with 10 men, resulting in Spurs almost adding to the game’s meagre tally as Taricco and Kanoute both went close.