Kewell adds the class

It is difficult to imagine who emerged with the greater satisfaction last night: Leeds manager David O'Leary, after adding another impressive footnote to his curriculum vitae, or those employed to look after Harry Kewell's finances.

With a touch of panache Kewell further embellished his growing reputation throughout the Continent with an extraordinary goal to settle a game that rarely rose above ordinary and leave O'Leary's team eyeing a quarter-final against Sparta Prague.

With Leeds preparing to elevate the Australian among the Premiership's highest earners, his timing was perfection.

In a frantic last few moments the Italians had two players sent off, the Brazilian Antonio Carlos Zago for a clash with Alan Smith and Vincent Candela for headbutting Darren Huckerby.

After a scoreless first leg which had left the defining image of Nigel Martyn repelling a barrage of Italian attacks, the Leeds management had flirted with the notion of deploying a man-marker to nullify the considerable threat of Francesco Totti.

Much racking of collective brains later, O'Leary and his staff opted for the policy that attack was the best form of defence and gambled on leaving Roma's influential play-maker to his own devices.

It was only to be expected that there would long, uneasy spells of Roma possession to test the mettle of a Leeds side debilitated by the absence of the injured defender Jonathan Woodgate.

Only six minutes had elapsed before an agitated O'Leary felt compelled to leave the directors' box and take his place on the touchline; his increasingly animated gesturing spoke volumes about his jangling nerves.

After all the hype, however, the possibility of an anti-climax was always lurking and the opening half was a strangely subdued affair with neither side displaying much in the form of guile or cohesion.

O'Leary's youthful players seemed burdened with apprehension, their natural attacking instincts scarcely in evidence, while Roma's more experienced competitors went through the rigmarole of breaking up play with some less than subtle spoiling tactics while looking to spring on the counter-attack.

It was a policy that carried more substance than anything their hosts could muster, but Martyn remained largely untroubled with the exception of a few long-range efforts that were little more than training-ground fodder.

In reply, Leeds failed to extend the visiting goalkeeper Francesco Antonioli during the first half, apart from a speculative effort from Kewell that television replays showed was drifting wide anyway.

But it required a splendid saving tackle from Damiano Tommasi to thwart Ian Harte after the Irish defender's marauding charge had manoeuvred a decent shooting opportunity.

Seldom did Leeds even threaten to infiltrate visiting ranks before Kewell lifted the growing air of resignation that had been engulfing the home stands with a classic strike.

There appeared little on when the Australian forward received a sideways pass from Lee Bowyer 25 yards from goal, but his shot carried such venom that Antonioli could only divert it against the under side of the crossbar before rebounding over the goal line.

It was a fine goal to illuminate a drab encounter.

LEEDS: Martyn, Kelly, Haaland, Radebe, Harte, Bowyer, Bakke (Jones 84), McPhail (Huckerby 89), Wilcox, Bridges (Smith 82), Kewell. Subs Not Used: Hopkin, Mills, Duberry, Robinson. Booked: Bridges, Haaland, Smith. Goals: Kewell 67.

ROMA: Antonioli, Zago, Aldair, Mangone, Rinaldi, Nakata (Di Francesco 77), Tommasi, Candela, Totti, Montella, Delvecchio. Subs Not Used: Zanetti, Lupatelli, Blasi, Tomic, Gourenko, Lanzaro. Sent Off: Zago (90), Candela (90). Booked: Totti, Candela, Delvecchio, Zago.

Referee: J G-A Encinar (Spain).