Leicester City 4 - 0 Leeds United

Leicester 4-0 Leeds: Dickov double

Updated: September 15, 2003, 7:00 AM ET

Leicester silenced their critics on a night which is likely to see Leeds boss Peter Reid back to his verbally-expletive worst.

• Dickov pays tribute

Two stunning goals in the space of three first-half minutes provided the basis for City's first victory of the season following a start to the campaign which had merely underlined their status as relegation certainties.

Paul Dickov's second of the night and Jamie Scowcroft's bullet header in the final 10 minutes hammered home a point to the doubters who have long written off boss Micky Adams' battlers as their first four games of the season had yielded just two points.

Leicester were buoyant by the final whistle, and but for Paul Robinson could easily have doubled their tally as Leeds were quite simply shocking in every department.

The elation in the wake of their own first win at Middlesbrough 16 days ago simply evaporated in the cool evening air over the Walkers Stadium.

Reid will be perplexed at how a team which performed so admirably in staging a come-from-behind win at the Riverside could have been made to look as if they had never played together before.

The fact Leeds lost their inspirational hub in skipper Dominic Matteo on Friday to an ankle injury owed much to a display which could not have been in greater contrast to the forthright performance witnessed at Boro.

You would have thought in drafting in Roque Junior to the centre of defence, the Brazil international a World Cup winner just 14 months ago, the hole created by Matteo would have been admirably filled.

But the 27-year-old, signed on loan from AC Milan for the remainder of the season shortly before transfer deadline day, looked more a macarena misfit than a samba star.

Roque Junior gave himself just two days to acquaint himself with his new team-mates and prepare for the game as he only flew into the country from South America on Friday afternoon after playing in two World Cup qualifying matches with Brazil.

But it was apparent he was not on the same wavelength as his colleagues for Leeds' defence was nothing more than a disorganised rabble at sixes and sevens and at odds with another.

In hindsight which, as the saying goes is a wonderful thing, Reid was perhaps unwise in playing Roque Junior as he should firstly have given him more time to settle in and instead have turned to a more experienced United campaigner in Lucas Radebe.

No defender in the world, nor `keeper come to that, could have prevented Lilian Nalis from opening his City account in such spectacular style in the 20th minute.

Signed from Italian upstarts Chievo in the summer, the man nicknamed Tarzan swung into action, or in particular his left foot did with a thunderous 29-yard volley and a contender for goal of the season which Robinson could only nudge into the roof of the net.

Robinson had already denied Jamie Scowcroft inside two minutes, just managing to hold onto a downward header from the left winger courtesy of a penetrating right-wing cross from debutant Marcus Bent after signing a season-long loan deal from Ipswich.

Ben Thatcher had also cleared the bar and Scowcroft had headed into the sidenetting in the opening exchanges prior to Nalis setting the game alight, with the delight of the City fans doubling in intensity midway through the half.

The goal was exquisite, but the defending shocking as route one football gave City a crucial cushion for Ian Walker's long goal-kick was flicked on by Scowcroft and then Bent for Dickov to chest down and volley beyond Robinson from just inside the area.

Roque Junior's night of woe continued after the break as he was initially lucky to escape punishment in the 48th minute.

He may have been tugged back by Dickov as they tussled for a loose ball on its way to Robinson, but the response in shoving the Scotland international to the ground could easily have led to Jeff Winter pointing to the spot, but there was no whistle.

Within seconds Roque Junior was on his heels again as a pumped-in ball for Bent to chase forced Robinson into a clearing header just outside his 18-yard box.

That was followed by a seemingly inevitable booking as his own mistake allowed Bent to steal a march on the 27-year-old, who promptly hauled back the City striker, giving Winter little option but to produce the card.

Robinson then denied Scowcroft from point-blank range, while Thatcher struck the bar soon after, before City were again rewarded in the 81st minute.

Roque Junior was finally replaced by Radebe, who almost immediately found himself turned by Dickov, allowing the Foxes forward to stroke the ball home from 16 yards.

Leicester's joy and Leeds' misery was completed in the 89th minute with Scowcroft powering home a header to leave master of the Anglo-Saxon Reid certain to leave the paint peeling on the walls of the United dressing room.

Dickov pays tribute to team-mates

Leicester City striker Paul Dickov paid tribute to his team-mates after their 4-0 win at home to Leeds - despite his two goals earning him the man-of-the-match award.

'It was very important [to get a win] tonight after the loss at Villa (a 3-1 defeat) and to bounce back in front of our own fans to win 4-0 is better than anyone could have expected.

'I think tonight, from the back, right through the team, everyone worked their socks off.

'I think Lilian's first goal was fantastic. His finishing in training has been fantastic and that was a great strike.

'It was important we got our first win under our belt. We have played well before but we needed that first elusive win.'

Defender Gerry Taggart felt City were able to dominate the game by putting the pressure on Leeds.

He said: 'In the Villa game we let ourselves down and tonight we had a point to prove. We went out there with grit and determination. We just wanted to win more than Leeds did and that is why we got that result.

'We try not to give people time to settle on the ball, we got among them, and it did the trick. Three great finishes - two by Paul and one by Lilian.'

Leicester boss Micky Adams admitted he was delighted with the victory.

He added: 'It was terrific. I think we showed tremendous enthusiasm for the game. Some of the criticism labelled at us after Aston Villa was correct. We cannot treat any game in the Premiership lightly.

'You just hope you are going to win. I would have taken any scoreline tonight providing we won.'

Adams joked that Nalis' goal had taken him - and probably most of his players - by surprise.

'I have tried to explain to him what fluke means in English. He's a right-footer and it's gone in with a left-foot swinger,' joked Adams.

'But he has been tremendous since he has been here, he has never let me down.'

Adams added on Sky Sports: 'We have got the first win on the board and we now have five points.

'We are not the finished article, we have got to work really hard every game, but the result is a real confidence booster before we go to Anfield on Saturday and then play Manchester United (at home).'

Defeated Leeds boss Peter Reid accepted his side had not been good enough.

'The better team won. Leicester deserve their victory, we were second best all over the pitch. We were really disappointing,' he said.

'You have got to earn your right to play football. We couldn't defend corners, they defended better than us, they had more energy and more desire.

'Football is not rocket science. It is about attitude and work-rate - we didn't do it and certainly Leicester City did.

'It is simple. Today, the work-ethic was missing. I think sometimes you look for excuses - but there are no excuses for it and sadly we were lacking in virtually every department.'

Reid struggled to draw any positives out of the game but said he was pleased his Brazilian World Cup winner Roque Junior had at last been able to get a taste of English football.

'Roque Junior had 80 minutes of Premiership football and he will know what it is about,' he said.