Ian Harte gets a pat from Harry Kewell for his equaliser (LaurenceGriffiths/Allsport)

With just 16 minutes to go, O'Leary's dream of steering his side into an unlikely Champions League quarter-final berth lay in tatters after Anderlecht's gifted Romania midfielder Alin Stoica put them ahead.

The magnificence of Munich and the glory that was Rome against Lazio were fast-fading memories as Leeds, not for the first time, looked to be heading for an Elland Road defeat that would effectively wipe out their chances.

But, just as his players have done before to defy the odds and overcome the challenge of such mighty opponenets as Milan and Barcelona, O'Leary watched from the dug-out with the same astonished delight as the fans as two more heroes stepped forward.

Full back Ian Harte, restored only recently to the first team, hauled them level with the 74th-minute free kick from 25 yards which beat goal-keeper Zvonko Milojevic all ends up to spark a fighting finish.

Then, almost inevitably, given his irresistible performance throughout the evening, Lee Bowyer provided the priceless winning goal - his fifth from midfield in the Champions League - with four minutes remaining.

Hours earlier, he had sat in a courtroom in Hull, where he faces a serious assault charge along with teammate Jon Woodgate. Bowyer has not missed a game since the trial began, but his contribution has never been greater than the right-foot, angled shot he rifled through Milojevic's legs from Alan Smith's pass.

No wonder there followed a frenzied celebration and even a booking for buoyant Bowyer in the dying seconds of the tie - his third of the campaign, earning him a one-match suspension. But it could not take the gloss off his night since next Wednesday's trip to Brussels for the return with Anderlecht is out of the question for him because of court commitments.

Leeds can now make that potentially daunting expedition in a better frame of mind than they might have expected. Neither Premiership leaders Manchester United nor 16 other teams have managed to avoid defeat there this season against the clear Belgian League leaders.

	D'you want the shirt off my back as well? Ilic grabs hold of Mark Viduka (LaurenceGriffiths/Allsport)

Should O'Leary's unpredictables manage to pull one more unlikely rabbit out of their Champions League hat in Brussels, they will be virtually assured of joining Real Madrid in the draw for the quarter-finals.

Anderlecht showed enough in a tense first half to suggest that they could conjure their first win on English soil in 12 attempts.

But giant Jan Koller, the £16million-rated Czech striker being watched once again by chief
admirer Peter Reid, hardly tempted the Sunderland boss to up his £12.5m bid by missing the best chance of the half when Bertrand Crasson sent the cross of the match scorching along Nigel Martyn's penalty area.

But in the 65th minute, Stoica kept his nerve to despatch a neat one-two with Bart Goor beyond the stranded Martyn despite David Batty's last-ditch tackle.

Leeds' prospects looked bleak until Harte stepped up to perform his party trick to crash home his second goal in three matches.

Then the spotlight fell on Bowyer and he was not found wanting.

The former England Under 21 midfielder now stands joint-second top scorer in Europe's premier club competition.