'Boro win compounds Leeds' misery

Leeds 0 Middlesbrough 3

The dark financial clouds may have temporarily lifted over Elland Road, but there is no end in sight to the on-pitch gloom as Leeds suffered a sixth consecutive defeat to move a step nearer relegation and potential oblivion.

Chairman Trevor Birch has masterminded a remarkable behind-the-scenes recovery in the last two weeks, raising £5m (€7.3m) to avoid administration and so keep Leeds in business until the end of the season.

But Birch’s acumen may prove in vain if Leeds fail to halt their dramatic slide out of the Barclaycard Premiership after second-half goals from Boudewijn Zenden, Joseph-Desire Job and Michael Ricketts gave Middlesbrough victory.

Insult was added to the deepening wounds when Paul Robinson was sent off by Graham Poll in the 88th minute for bringing down Ricketts, who then scored a well-taken penalty past debutant Scott Carson.

There had been threats of a ‘silent protest’ before kick off, with fans expected to show their disgust at the players’ initial refusal to accept a wage deferral of 35% and then 30% in order to help the club out of its financial crisis.

With all other avenues exhausted, theplayers belatedly chose to dip their hands in their pockets on Thursday, agreeing to 25% until the end of the season.

Despite such a deferral, the players can still hardly claim to have earned their money bearing in mind the inflated pay-packets they have been taking home in recent seasons.

There were a number of dissenting voices among the crowd as the players took to the pitch, yet despite again turning up the volume in a bid to raise the side during the second period, there remains little to cheer.

A torrential downpour before the game and during the opening 20 minutes was hardly conducive to good football, but as the saying goes, it never rains but what it pours as Leeds are now all-too-harshly finding out.

Leeds mustered little in the opening 45 minutes, with goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer tested once, and that was in the eighth-minute by skipper Gareth Southgate, back in the Boro starting line-up after a lengthy lay-off with a hamstring injury.

James Milner, playing up front alongside Alan Smith as Gray finally dispensed with the 4-5-1 formation, bravely won a corner.

Although Ian Harte’s delivery was over-hit, Leeds managed to retrieve the situation, resulting in Schwarzer plucking a backward Southgate header from underneath his own crossbar.

Boro then carved out the better chances, with Gaizka Mendieta curling a right-foot free-kick narrowly over the bar after Juninho had been brought down a yard outside the penalty area by Matthew Kilgallon.

Robinson then came to the fore with a superb save low to his right in greasy conditions to deny Mendieta on the half-volley, with Juninho thwarted on the follow up as the England international just managed to push the ball away for a corner.

After Zenden was inches away with an angled drive as the half closed, it was cruel on Leeds – and indicative of their season – that in looking lively for the first time in the game after the break, they should concede the opening goal.

With men committed to attack, Boro took full advantage as they carved United open in the 53rd minute, with an incisive move culminating in Massimo Maccarone’s through ball being drilled home via a first-time left-foot drive from 15 yards from Zenden.

The Leeds supporters finally raised their voices, and as expected it galvanised their failing heroes, with Alan Smith twice going close in the space of a minute on the hour mark.

An initial shot on the turn from 15 yards took a slight deflection past Schwarzer’s right-hand post, and from Jermaine Pennant’s inswinging corner, a glancing header was inches over the bar.

After Zenden had shaved Robinson’s post with a firm drive, Leeds’ spirit was crushed in the 74th minute with Job – on as sub three minutes earlier for Massimo Maccarone – rounding Robinson and sliding the ball home from an acute angle after a 50-yard run following Juninho’s dummy to Chris Riggott’s pass out of defence.

In the 88th minute, Leeds suffered the final indignity with Robinson’s dismissal and Ricketts’ sending Carson the wrong way from the spot.