Fowler and Co salute the rebel

Bowyer's hamstring now having healed, O'Leary offered the carrot of a place on the Elland Road bench against Newcastle on Saturday, adding: 'We're a close-knit unit and that's kept us going through everything.

'But it will be very nice to get back to just running a football club.'

Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate were at Elland Road for the first time since their court case to see Everton recover from Fowler's double and force the Leeds defence to concede two late goals for the second time in four days.

But while the bond between players, fans, manager and chairman that has served Leeds so well over the last three years has been placed under great strain by the Bowyer affair, their title chances have at least been rekindled.

Viduka was a constant threat even before breaking the deadlock after 19 minutes. Danny Mills sent Gary Kelly, filling in well in midfield, racing down the right to cut back a superb cross that Viduka met perfectly with his head to give Steve Simonsen no chance.

Everton's fortunes did not improve and the team that had not won at Elland Road for 50 years found themselves two goals down after 26 minutes - to Fowler of all people.

The way he took Mills' superb ball on the run, chested it down as he dodged between Abel Xavier and Alessandro Pistone, then planted it beyond Simonsen's dive with his right foot suggests the fans are in for a treat this winter.

As if to reinforce that impression, Fowler combined brilliantly with Harry Kewell two minutes before the break and hit a tremendous shot from 25 yards that beat Simonsen but thudded against the foot of his left-hand post.

O'Leary said: 'Robbie has looked great but just needed to finish it off with a goal. He's technically excellent and there is no more gifted a player when it comes to scoring goals.

'Maybe he's even brought something out of Viduka. There's more to come from their partnership - and Smith and Fowler are looking a good combination too.'

Fowler made sure it was his night - on the field, at least - when David Batty fired a rare shot from 25 yards in the 71st minute. The ball ricocheted kindly off Abel Xavier and Fowler instinctively snapped up his second.

Everton did manage to get into gear thereafter, with substitute Joe-Max Moore producing a splendid volley after 84 minutes to beat Nigel Martyn before, to Leeds' horror, skipper David Weir rose unchallenged to head a second from Idan Tal's corner.

It gave an unreal look to the scoreline for, as Everton manager Walter Smith admitted, Leeds were unquestionably the better side. If minds were not concentrated for the whole 90 minutes, that could have been down to the presence of Bowyer, just a few seats down from Woodgate.

Bowyer may not have been playing, but he was still the key man as Leeds began the task of getting their season of rich promise back on an even keel.

Now Leeds are on trial
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