*Stylish Viduka sees off Villa*

At the end of another troubled week for the club, Leeds United stayed in pursuit of the fourth Champions League place courtesy of Mark Viduka’s sixteenth goal of the season. Much the better side in the first half, they came under sustained pressure in the final 20 minutes when Aston Villa finally responded to the promptings of the Holte End - and their three substitutes.

Graham Taylor has only a single win in 10 matches since succeeding John Gregory. Taylor has already indicated that the wind of change will blow through Villa Park this summer. Little he saw yesterday will alter his thinking.

With a knee injury forcing Rio Ferdinand to miss his fifth successive match and Jonathan Woodgate’s broken jaw keeping him out for the rest of the season, Danny Mills, as expected, partnered Dominic Matteo in a makeshift central defensive partnership for Leeds. Less expected was a rare start for Robbie Keane, with Robbie Fowler on the bench.

Villa, in addition to replacing the departed Peter Schmeichel with Peter Enckelman in goal, had Hassan Kachloul back for Moustapha Hadji, Darius Vassell staying on the bench.

Keane, full of beans, had a goal disallowed for one of six offside decisions against Leeds in the opening nine minutes, turning the ball in at the far post after Alan Smith had taken advantage of a slip by Gareth Barry.

Viduka pulled an angled chance wide after a mistake by Thomas Hitzlsperger left him in the clear, but he made no mistake after a poor free-kick by Steve Staunton was played back into the penalty area by David Batty. Viduka turned his marker and finished with a flourish.

Villa were a disjointed bunch for much of the first half, despite a volley from Juan Pablo Angel that Nigel Martyn saved at the foot of the post, and a chance sidefooted over by the Colombian after Peter Crouch had held the ball up. Roars for a penalty when Angel went down under a challenge by Matteo, after initiating the build-up himself with the help of Mark Delaney, were stifled when referee Barry Knight promptly booked him for diving.

Villa changed things around for the second half, Jlloyd Samuel replacing Kachloul on the pitch and Barry on the left side of the defence. Barry moved into midfield, where Leeds had won most of the contests - a situation underlined when Lee Bowyer came through to force Enckelman into a good save.

The mood of the crowd was not improved when Angel was crowded out on the edge of the box, forcing Villa to up the tempo. Crouch was too high with a shot, then a wicked cross by George Boateng could have gone anywhere as Mills attacked it. Fortunately for Leeds, the ball deflected for a corner.

Batty and Ian Taylor joined Angel in the book for fouls, Taylor’s offence offering Ian Harte the chance to strike a 30-yard free-kick that deflected off the wall. Two more Villa substitutions involved Steve Stone for Boateng and Vassell for Angel.

Twice Leeds came under pressure from crosses from the left flank by Hitzlsperger. The first was punched away by Martin, the second headed over by Taylor.