Leeds 0-2 Chelsea

	John Terry, and Robbie Keane battle it out at Elland Road (CliveBrunskill/Allsport)

They turned up in their thousands, buoyed by the thought of a man who wasn't even there.

Robbie Fowler decided to stay at home while he awaits the conclusion of a stringent two-day medical and his £11million move to Leeds. It was a wise decision.

Elland Road was buzzing in anticipation of Fowler's impending arrival. Yet, as if unwilling to tempt fate, the Leeds crowd refused to chant his name, picking Alan Smith and Robbie Keane as the objects of their idolatry.

But Fowler's time will come and the Scouse scoring machine cannot arrive soon enough for the Leeds public.

They had arrived to see an opposition who usually provide a feisty, physical threat but left as ashen-faced as David O'Leary.

The Leeds manager's casualty list is mounting and, as Chelsea's Eidur Gudjohnsen rammed home his two winning goals, more casualties lay strewn across Elland Road.

When Gudjohnsen scored his first goal from Frank Lampard's header, Dominic Matteo was attempting to leave the pitch with an achilles problem while Eirik Bakke was laid out with a knee ligament injury.

When Chelsea's Iceland striker thumped home his second ten minutes from time, poor Stephen McPhail was awaiting the arrival of a stretcher party.

O'Leary says his squad is not big enough to cope with the demands of a season in which he is expected to return to the Champions League at least. As if to re-emphasise the point, he again named just four substitutes.

The manager said: 'All the players have very bad injuries but we won't know until later just how serious they are.

'I keep reading that I have spent £100m but I wish that was the case. We have spent £60m, taking account of players we have sold, and I think our players are worth a lot more money now.

'Robbie Fowler will be another quality addition and if he can rediscover the form he showed 18 months ago, we will have added real quality.

'The idea of Robbie excites me, and when we can train him and fit him into our way, he can add a lot of goals for us.

'Four games in ten days with the same players has taken its toll and we looked a tired team. I thought the best team won but we had too many quality players missing and we ran out of steam.'

Referee Jeff Winter missed a blatant Leeds penalty when William Gallas brought down Robbie Keane, whose frustration at being unable to deliver a goal yet again - and in the week of Fowler's arrival - appeared to get the better of him.

The penalty was not the only moment of significance Winter missed in a game that threatened to reach its customary boiling point in the latter stages when challenges threatened to get out of hand.

Chelsea departed with their own injury worries when Graeme Le Saux was carried off suffering a mild concussion after being floored by Smith, who appeared to lead with his elbow despite having been ordered by O'Leary 24 hours earlier to clean up his act.

Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri said: 'He is dazed like a boxer and slightly concussed, but I hope it is not a bad injury.'

Ranieri refused to discuss claims that he has offered his resignation and has threatened legal action.

But his side's passage into the last eight, which maintains the hope of returning to Europe, has undoubtedly lifted the pressure on him.

He said: 'It is a fantastic victory against a Leeds team who are very good in England and in Europe.

'I am happy with the building process here. I have good intelligent players but it is impossible to win every game. What is important is the performance - and this was a fantastic performance and a very important one for us.'