A game which started off so brightly ended in despair as Spartak came from a goal behind to beat Leeds 2-1 on the night.

O'Leary was without the services of Batty and Radebe, replacing them with Haaland and Duberry respectively. He decided to play five across midfield with Bridges up front alone.

We started the game where we'd left off against Lokomotiv and could easily have taken the lead within the first five minutes. Winning a corner on the right, Harte's set piece was met by Kewell's bullet header, which crashed against the crossbar.

Spartak, who are now in their domestic close season, looked sleepy to say the least and Kewell and Bridges were a constant threat during the opening minutes. The latter skinned Russian defenders on at least three occasions but each time failed to connect with a worthwhile shot.

On 13 minutes, we opened the scoring. A dreadfully underhit back pass was beautifully intercepted by Kewell who rounded the keeper expertly to slot the ball home from a tight angle. It was no more than we deserved.

Unfortunately, half way through the half, Bridges collided with the keeper at the end of another promising Leeds move down the left. He was immediately stretchered off for treatment and although he made it through to half time, his contribution diminished and he was replaced early in the second period with a shin injury.

This seemed to spur Spartak on and they began to force themselves more into the game. We started to defend too deeply and were losing out in midfield. A Spartak goal seemed more of a possibility and it came in disappointing fashion just eight minutes before the break. A corner was delivered into the box at waist height but Bakke failed to clear the danger and Schirko thumped the ball past Martyn's near post. A soft goal which was to change the course of the game.

Spartak then went for the jugular and only a well timed challenge by Duberry prevented us from going a goal down before the interval.

After the break we once again started the brighter team. Bridges was replaced by Huckerby whose first touch was almost to scramble the ball into the Russian's net. It took ten minutes of the half for Spartak to get into their stride but when they did, they went on to dominate the half. The whole match turned on sixty seconds activity just past the hour mark.

A superb pass from McPhail found Kewell sprinting down the left, who skinned two defenders but, with Bowyer handily placed, hit his shot against the keeper's legs. Immediately, Spartak broke at pace and seconds later they had taken the lead. It was a clever five man move, full of pace and invention. However, it has to be said that the defending was woeful as the dangerous Robson slotted into an open goal.

From this point, it was all out pressure from the Russians. Now we looked a completely different team: defending too deeply, surrendering possession too easily, especially in midfield and standing off attackers in the most dangerous of positions. Spartak created a series of half chances and we looked a well beaten team. Could we hold on to the 2-1 scoreline?

At the other end, the pace of Huckerby and Kewell was still causing the occasional moment of danger - the former doing well in the 84th minute to play a dangerous ball into the box. Bowyer, who was having an indifferent game by his standards, threw himself bravely onto the ball but collided heavily with the keeper as the ball skewed wide.

We almost conceded a bizarre own goal just a minute from time, when a deflected header had to be headed away to safety by Martyn. Then, thirty seconds later, Kelly had to clear off the line.

The final whistle went with O'Leary happy to have hung on to a 1-2 scoreline. It's no exaggeration to say we could have conceded four or five in the second half - and, even allowing for the sub-zero conditions, lack of key players and possible tiredness, the ease with which we capitulated in the last half hour must be of major concern to the Leeds management team.

Leeds Star Man: Gary Kelly