Radzinski makes a meal of Leeds leftovers

Everton 2 Leeds United

Another afternoon of woe for the Remnants XI. On Friday, the very soul of Leeds was exposed for the delectation of the public and the misery of their followers. Here it was the commitment among those players who have remained that was open for inspection.

If they harboured a desire to maintain Terry Venables' allegiance to the club, a second half in which his team deteriorated after conceding a 56th-minute penalty was a less than emphatic declaration of intent, although the man himself insisted: "I don't think we saw anything detrimental to their spirit today."

Yet this was hardly a great endorsement and scarcely the restorative required to cement harmonious relations between manager and chairman. As the final whistle approached a cry of "Sack the board" arose from the visiting supporters, directed primarily at the chairman Peter Ridsdale in the directors' box. But these days even the Leeds protests are pretty feeble.

At least it could not be claimed there was any effect on continuity caused by this week's departures of Robbie Fowler and Jonathan Woodgate. Neither had participated in what had been an enterprising and gutsy performance, albeit one culminating in defeat, at Chelsea in midweek. After that exhibition, the one we observed here demonstrated what is so baffling about the Yorkshire team.

They faced an Everton side still deprived of the England would-be Wayne Rooney, completing his four-match ban. But it scarcely mattered. Not with Tomasz Radzinski in this mood. The Canadian striker's contribution, securing a penalty, converted by David Unsworth, and scoring the second goal, was the statistical difference between the sides, but there was more to it than that. Despite the fact that Leeds, in a subdued first half, enjoyed marginally the better of the exchanges, Venables' men capitulated with barely a gesture of retaliation once the penalty award had been made.

Pressed again on his future, he would only say: "I find I'm being asked to react to something that has just landed in my lap. The problem is that games are coming along very quickly and now we've got Gillingham [in the FA Cup] on Tuesday. Everything's been so fast and ideally you'd like a few days to think things through, but that's not possible." It was put to him that this was the most trying time of his career. "Yes, it is," he replied grimly.

Yet it was worth reminding yourself that at the start of play they were only eight points adrift of the European places, a difference that would not prove too great if Leeds could assemble any kind of a sequence, but so far in this season of the ever-shrinking team, consistency has been beyond them.

Leeds have never found this stage a productive source of goals. They had failed to score in each of their last seven visits. Yesterday, in a first half in which neither team were particularly blessed with inspiration, Eirik Bakke headed into the side-netting and Harry Kewell had an effort cleared off the line by Unsworth. Both originated in left-wing crosses from Jason Wilcox, though as David Moyes, manager of a club which has seen enough crisis years itself in recent times, observed, it was Kewell who was the primary source of danger to the home side.

Moyes' team had been restricted to half-chances, notably when Steve Watson drove over the bar after Brian McBride laid the ball back to him. Then the United States striker had Paul Robinson scrambling across his line with a header, but the ball looped just over the bar. Just before the break, Everton's appeals for a penalty were rightly ignored by the referee, Mark Halsey, when Li Tie went down under the challenge of Alan Smith. It appeared that the England striker had played the ball.

The crowd was extraordinarily quiet, but in fairness much of the the contest had been soporific. The fans were awoken shortly after the interval, however, when Radzinski outstripped Danny Mills but placed his shot inches wide.

Leeds were not quite so fortunate shortly afterwards, though, when the pair again chased a through-ball towards the visitors' goal. This time the Leeds full-back, playing here as a central defender, was adjudged to have felled Radzinski in the area. The official was some way behind play but looked to an assistant for confirmation that it was indeed a spot-kick. Unsworth placed his penalty with unerring accuracy.

Then, midway through the half, Radzinski combined cleverly with Li Tie, who appropriately, given that it was the Chinese new year, had enjoyed one of his most impressive games in midfield, and the striker scuttled into the area before dispatching Everton's second with some élan.

Bakke was cautioned after an over- zealous challenge on Unsworth as Leeds' frustration showed itself, and soon afterwards the Norwegian midfielder was replaced by the 17-year-old James Milner, the face of Leeds' future. The only shame was that there was no Rooney on display, so that early comparisons could be made.

Kevin Campbell, at the opposite end of the experience spectrum, entered the fray late on and he was close to making Leeds' afternoon all the more desperate but, with Radzinski hovering for the cut-back, Gary Kelly intervened to clear the striker's cross.

The end of a wretched week for Leeds. But Venables remains, for the time being at least. Under the former England coach things simply must get better. It is a foolish man who would make such an assumption where Leeds are concerned.

Everton 2 Leeds United 0
Unsworth pen 56, Radzinski 68

Half-time: 0-0 Attendance: 40,153