Dean Windass plunged Leeds' fast-disappearing season further into crisis with a last-gasp equaliser to revitalise Middlesbrough's dreams of Premier League survival.

Leeds looked on course for their first victory since New Year's Day as they led with just over three minutes remaining, only for 79th-minute substitute Windass to grab a point from the jaws of defeat three minutes from time.

It means Leeds have now taken just two points from their last five matches and the prospect of Intertoto Cup football next season, as threatened by United chairman Peter Ridsdale, could yet become a nightmare reality for David O'Leary's multi-million pound squad.

A confident Leeds of old would have wrapped up the points by half time such was the shambolic nature of the Middlesbrough defence during the opening 45 minutes.

But this is a side currently licking their wounds due to the miserable run which is destroying their title and Champions League hopes.

Boss Steve McClaren's side dithered and dallied at the back, their indecisions and errors providing Leeds with the kind of possession and pressure they have not enjoyed for a considerable period of time.

Leeds were at least quicker and sharper to the ball, proving to O'Leary they still have the hunger he had been eager for his players to show, but they were also too tentative as they failed to punish their home side.

They at least deserved their half-time lead, sparked by Nigel Martyn's long goal-kick in the 19th minute which was initially controlled by Robbie Fowler who in turn found Mark Viduka.

The Australia international delivered a superb back heel into the path of Fowler who had continued with his run, the £11million striker picking out an all-alone Eirik Bakke to slide the ball home off Mark Crossley.

For the Norway international, playing his first game since damaging ankle ligaments in the Boxing Day win at Bolton, it was his fourth goal of the season, but his first for four months.

Fowler and Viduka then chanced their arm with superb curled 20-yard efforts, saved by Crossley and narrowly over the bar respectively, before Benito Carbone should have marked his Boro debut with the equaliser.

Carbone, signed yesterday on a three-month loan from First Division Bradford after performing a u-turn following his initial refusal to move to the Riverside, combined with fellow Italian Gianluca Festa in the 30th minute.

The 30-year-old dragged the ball down in acres of space inside the Leeds area and drilled in a shot on the turn which was superbly turned over the bar by Martyn, only for referee Neale Barry to award a goal kick rather than the expected corner.

The Scunthorpe official, who had described Leeds' 1-1 draw at home to Aston Villa at the end of November as ``the most evil game'' he had refereed during his five years in the Premiership, was shown an altogether different United.

With Lee Bowyer, Danny Mills and Alan Smith all serving suspensions to further undermine Leeds' ambitions of a place in next season's Champions League, the United players have been made aware in no uncertain terms by O'Leary and Ridsdale further transgressions will lead to strong ramifications.

But this was a whiter-than-white Leeds performance as Barry issued just one yellow card, that to Bakke, while Paul Ince was also booked and now serves a one-match ban for picking up five cautions for the season.

But when the world appears to be against you, as O'Leary recently claimed, then the freak equaliser which followed was more comical than a surprise, leaving Martyn with a red face.

Skipper Ince, winning the ball with typical tenacity just outside the area, fired in a speculative 20 yard shot in the 51st minute, falling to the floor and not seeing what was to follow as he did so.

Martyn crouched in anticipation of comfortably collecting the ball, only for it to spin viciously on a divot on the edge of the six-yard area and beyond the helpless England international, who then lashed out at the offending piece of earth in disgust.

But within three minutes United had regained the lead, with an Ince foul on Olivier Dacourt leading to Ian Harte curling the ball goalwards from 22 yards.

Fowler brilliantly intervened, producing a deft backward flick just two yards out and almost directly in front of Crossley for his 11th goal of the season and eighth since joining Leeds for #11million from Liverpool two months ago.

Leeds, though, are a team with inner demons these days and their woes continued, but only after Martyn had seemingly saved them with a sensational point-blank save from former Leeds star Noel Whelan's volley.

But from the corner whipped in by Carbone, Windass rose unchallenged to head home his first goal of the season to spark wild celebrations among the Boro players, leaving their Leeds counterparts with their heads bowed in disgust.

Teams:

Middlesbrough: Crossley, Festa, Southgate, Ehiogu, Queudrue, Gavin (Mustoe 45), Ince, Greening (Windass 79), Stamp (Boksic 45), Whelan, Carbone.

Subs Not Used: Murphy, Jones.

Booked: Ince.

Goals: Ince 51, Windass 88.

Leeds: Martyn, Kelly, Ferdinand, Matteo, Harte, Dacourt (Wilcox 86), Bakke, Batty, Kewell, Viduka, Fowler.

Subs Not Used: Keane, Robinson, McPhail, Duberry.

Booked: Bakke.

Goals: Bakke 19, Fowler 54.

Att: 30,221

Ref: N Barry (Scunthorpe).