Leeds still in with a shout

After all the recriminations, the allegations and counter-allegations, Leeds United stayed true to their word here by allowing their football to do their talking only to lose the argument to the Russian champions.

Nevertheless they will confront Spartak in the return leg of this third-round tie at Elland Road next Thursday needing only a 1-0 win thanks to a 14th-minute goal from Harry Kewell that promised much yet proved to be only a false dawn.

"People may think I would be worried but that is far from the case," said the Leeds manager David O'Leary. "This is a good result for us. I would settle for 2-1 away from home in a two-legged tie in Europe every time."

Spartak's commendable fightback condemned Leeds to only their second defeat in 17 matches, a loss made all the harder to bear by the vitriol that had been simmering since the original tie was postponed in Moscow eight days ago.

Indeed, there had been compelling evidence backing vigorous claims from Leeds of a dirty tricks campaign only 24 hours before the match finally got under way. When the Leeds players arrived for their scheduled training session they found their Russian counterparts had gazumped them by switching their allocated time slot. Then imagine their surprise to discover the showerheads in their dressing-room had mysteriously gone missing.

No doubt that would have provided Leeds with an additional few lines for the letter of protest to UEFA about the Russians' conduct, principally the allegations that O'Leary had offered financial inducements for the match to be rescheduled at Anfield or Maine Road.

Not that UEFA has shown itself in a glowing light thus far. Having failed to foresee the inevitable in a numbingly cold Moscow, the decision to stage last night's game at a stadium with no under-soil heating took on near-farcical proportions as the temperature dropped below freezing and darkness obscured the smog hanging over this polluted old city.

Leeds emerged to the strains of their club anthem, Marching Al- together. They also had the support of the Bulgarian supporters inside a sparsely populated Georgi Asparukhov Stadium, and immediately took command against opponents displaying signs of rustiness in their first competitive match for almost five weeks since winning the Russian title for the fourth successive year.

Leeds had scored six goals in their previous two games on European travels and O'Leary's youthful, exuberant side did not have to wait long for the breakthrough.

It came from a monumental error from the Spartak defender Dimitri Khlestov. Under no apparent pressure, he made a misguided and woefully understrength attempt to knee the ball back to his goalkeeper from the edge of the penalty area. Kewell required no further invitation, intercepting the loose ball and rounding Alexander Filimonov before squeezing the ball inside the near post with the goalkeeper in no-man's land.

Kewell had already struck the crossbar with an unchallenged header from an Ian Harte corner. But once Spartak found their feet they rapidly emerged as the dominant force.

Only a one-handed save from Nigel Martyn denied the Brazilian striker Robson a spectacular equaliser in the midst of a concerted spell of pressure, but there was little he could do to prevent Alexander Schirko equalising from inside the six-yard area as Leeds dithered at a corner.

For long spells of the second half it was one-way traffic towards Martyn's goal but all Spartak had to show for their efforts was Robson's 65th-minute goal after a flowing four-man move, including a fortuitous ricochet off Jonathon Woodgate, had scythed its way through the Leeds defence.

After that, it was little consolation for Leeds to find that the showerheads had been returned.

SPARTAK MOSCOW: Filimonov, Kovtun, Khlestov, Bushmanov, Baranov, Bulatov, Titov, Parfionov, Schirko, Bezrodnyi, Robson. Subs Not Used: Smetanin, Ananko, Ketchinov, Evseev, Meleshin, Mor, Everton. Booked: Kovtun. Goals: Schirko 38, Robson 65.

LEEDS UNITED: Martyn, Kelly, Woodgate, Duberry, Harte, Bakke, Bowyer, McPhail, Haaland, Kewell, Bridges (Huckerby 55). Subs Not Used: Robinson, Mills, Maybury, Jones, Smith, Hiden. Booked: Harte. Goal: Kewell 14.

Referee: A Frisk (Sweden).