A charmed life for Lucky Le Saux

"It's normal. I don't know what my reaction would have been if my player had been on the receiving end. It's a good question. It's an English tackle. It's normal.

"You know that." Normal is Ranieri's pet word. Absolutely everything on earth is labelled normal by him.

Perhaps his next pet word should be "guff", if the content of his speech was anything to go by.

Hang on, though. Something else was normal to Ranieri.

"Yes, I understand David O'Leary's reaction. He wanted to defend his player. It's normal."

Er, "defend" his player? From what? For once Mills had done nothing requiring mitigation. Moreover, it seems absurd to think the FA is now obliged to dole out a lecture to O'Leary when he spoke singular good sense, albeit at an ill-advised volume.

He said afterwards: "I'm ashamed I lost my temper. I didn't use foul and abusive language, but I was incensed with the tackle. It was disgraceful. I told the referee the linesman was a joke. I'm not proud I was banished, although it's sad I was banished and somebody else wasn't. We read in the rules that a two-footed tackle is a mandatory sending off. It was high as well.

"Paul Durkin is a decent referee. When he sees that on television I hope he'll see why I was incensed. We don't want people sent off for no reason. All I'm saying is be a proper referee. We see wishy-washy cards handed out at times when, for the good of the game, incidents like this are the ones we need referees to make decisions on - not for somebody falling over their handbag. This sort of incident must be punished.

"Claudio Ranieri is a nice man. His English is getting better, but maybe he needs to improve it if he thinks that was a normal English tackle. I'm not going to get involved in a debate about whether there should now be further action. I'll just have my say to the FA."

A shame that the outcome of his hearing is so predictable. Foul language or no, the FA cannot be seen to condone an aggressive verbal attack on a referee, no matter how much sense O'Leary's words made or how understandable his venom under the circumstances.

A shame, too, that the incident so overshadowed the rest of the game. Ranieri insisted that his side had not so much as discussed any need to prove a point after the White Feather Six refused to travel to a Mediterranean beach resort midweek. Four of the six started (Albert Ferrer was on the bench and Marcel Desailly was injured), much to the predictable delight of the Leeds fanswho launched into a brisk rendition of: "Where were you on Thursday night?" They followed that with: "Team full of cowards, you're just a team full of cowards . . ." and so on. Such larks.

Let us pretend to believe Ranieri on this one, and affect that there was no pre-match mention of proving points.

In that case Chelsea's doughty display was mere coincidence.

They really toughed this match out. A bafflingly confident Mark Bosnich saved from Mark Viduka, Rio Ferdinand and Harry Kewell.

At the other end Nigel Martyn did well to keep out Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and the in-form Emmanuel Petit in either half. Itmay have ended as another draw, but it was clearly a point won for Chelsea. It felt like two lost for Leeds.

After all, to have one ball cleared off the line (Viduka's lob hooked out by William Gallas) may be regarded as a misfortune; to be denied another goal by the same means (John Terry from Alan Smith) looks like carelessness.

At the full time whistle 'Lucky' Le Saux looked a very happy man, as well he might. Perhaps he will be attending a curious event at Elland Road next month, as advertised on the back of the teamsheet - An Audience With Nick Leeson.

Maybe Le Saux and Leeson can get together afterwards to compare notes on getting away with it.