Leeds ease past Hammers to go top

Viduka set Leeds on their way with two early strikes

Leeds 3-0 West Ham

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Leeds signalled their championship intent at the start of 2002 by ending West Ham's unbeaten run to go top of the Premiership.

David O'Leary's men were 2-0 up within seven minutes through two goals from Mark Viduka.

  Key moments

4 mins: Viduka volley gives Leeds the lead.

7 mins:Viduka diving header doubles Leeds' advantage.

50 mins: Robbie Fowler chip seals Leeds win.

Fellow striker Robbie Fowler added a third with a delightful chip five minutes after the half-time interval.

The Hammers, with four wins and two draws in their last six league matches, kept their shape and tried to play their way back into the game.

But the home side, who made it three wins in a row over the festive season, always posed the greater attacking threat.

Fowler sealed their triumph when he lifted the ball over West Ham keeper David James from 18 yards out after sloppy defensive work by John Moncur.

Surging

Viduka's opener came in the third minute as the visitors' defence was cut to ribbons by an incisive interchange involving Danny Mills, Fowler and Alan Smith.

We've come through a heck of a period at this club, and we've got a ridiculous amount of injuries - I wish our luck would improve in that respect

David O'Leary

Smith's cross from the right was met on the volley by Viduka inside the six-yard box, giving James no chance.

The Australian's second came after Nigel Winterburn played Trevor Sinclair into trouble near the halfway line, with Mills surging from defence to intercept.

His poinpoint pass from the right found the diving Viduka's head and James was again left picking the ball out of the Hammers' net.

Viduka almost had his hat-trick courtesy of a 38th-minute overhead kick which James did well to save.

The keeper produced a second good stop five minutes later when Smith got on the end of another flowing Leeds move.

Problems

West Ham threatened sporadically, with Sinclair, and strikers Jermain Defoe and Frederic Kanoute, all posing Leeds problems.

I don't think you could accuse us of lying down - over the 90 minutes they were just too good for us

Hammers boss
Glenn Roeder

But it took the Londoners 33 minutes to muster their first shot on target.

They needed a goal shortly after the interval to stand a chance of getting anything from their trip to West Yorkshire.

But with Jonathan Woodgate and Rio Ferdinand looking solid at the back for Leeds, the result was never in doubt.

Only the reflexes of James, who pulled off several top-class saves in the second half, kept the score down.

A flurry of late substitutions signalled the end of any meaningful contest, and Leeds head into the new year at the summit of the English game.

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Leeds: Martyn, Mills, Ferdinand, Woodgate, Harte, Smith, Kelly, Batty, Bowyer (Wilcox 87), Viduka, Fowler. Subs not used: Robinson, McPhail, Duberry, Singh.

Booked: Mills, Bowyer, Smith.

West Ham: James, Repka, Dailly, Schemmel, Winterburn, Cole, Hutchison, Moncur, Sinclair, Defoe (Todorov 75), Kanoute (Garcia 82). Subs not used: Hislop, Foxe, Minto.

Booked: Repka, Kanoute.

Att: 39,320

Referee: S Dunn (Bristol)