Ruud Gullit, in a lengthy press conference after this defeat, criticised those who have found fault with the length of time he spends in Amsterdam. Gullit had intended his answer to his critics to be the signing of Ibrahim Ba from Milan as a replacement for Keith Gillespie, but that fell through when the player failed a medical, and Newcastle suffered from the absence of a right winger to supply Alan Shearer and Duncan Ferguson.
Leeds went ahead after 36 minutes when Harry Kewell scored from 12 yards following a rather clumsy pass from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Kewell's shot was untrue yet it still beat Shay Given and after a brief, uncoordinated rally by Newcastle to start the second half, Given was beaten again. Kewell was again at the heart of it, turning Steve Howey before driving powerfully from the edge of the area. Given spilled the shot and Lee Bowyer poked the ball in.
Another Newcastle mini revival was prompted and David Hopkin headed off the line from Shearer, but the intelligent distribution of young substitute Stephen McPhail allowed Hasselbaink to finish emphatically.
Newcastle: Given, Charvet, Howey, Dabizas, Barton (Hughes 51), Georgiadis (Ketsbaia 62), Lee, Speed, Glass, Shearer, Ferguson. Subs Not Used: Harper, Hamann, Solano.
Leeds: Martyn, Halle, Wetherall, Ribeiro (McPhail 57), Woodgate, Hopkin, Bowyer, Haaland, Harte, Kewell (Smith 90), Hasselbaink. Subs Not Used: Robinson, Wijnhard, Granville. Goals: Kewell 38, Bowyer 62, Hasselbaink 90. Att: 36,783.
Referee: G Willard (Worthing).
