LEEDS led the Premiership and David O’Leary was still “a naive young manager” when the Yorkshire club’s calamitous slide was precipitated by an infamous, violent visit to the Principality in January 2002 that ended in a 2-1 defeat. How times change. Yesterday Cardiff were so superior that they might have been the Premiership side, striking the crossbar three times and having a penalty saved.

“There’s always a first time to come back to anything. We did that today and please God everyone went home safely and we can move on,” said Kevin Blackwell, the Leeds manager.

That his team emerged unscathed as well was almost miraculous. They were pinned to the ropes for almost the entire second half. Cardiff — underpinned by Danny Gabbidon, who dealt ruthlessly with the aerial threat of Brian Deane at the back and energised by Gary O’Neil, Willie Boland and Paul Parry in midfield — gave Leeds no respite. It was violence, albeit its more acceptable face.

“It was a performance of passion, character and courage,” said Lennie Lawrence. “Something like 19 times out of 20 we would have won this game but these things happen when you’re lying where we are in the League. We were the better team, easy.”

Languishing in the bottom three, Lawrence’s side shed their shackles from the outset. Despite being without the suspended Graham Kavanagh in midfield and Alan Lee up front, Cardiff played with coherence throughout. Welsh international Parry was dangerous on the left flank, exploiting the gaps in the visitors’ stretched defence, early on feeding O’Neil, who released Chris Barker to cross from the byline. Clarke Carlisle, a titan in the Leeds rearguard, cut it out at the expense of a corner, and the tone for what followed was set.

The pressure told in the 20th minute, when Jobi McAnuff cut in from the right and was hauled down inside the penalty area by Stephen Crainey, referee Phil Crossley pointing immediately to the spot. With Kavanagh, the usual penalty-taker, on the touchline, responsibility was assumed by Andy Campbell, who struck his kick poorly. Neil Sullivan saved with his feet, Paul Butler foiled Campbell on the follow-up and Leeds had been shown mercy.

All they could do was dig in. In Carlisle, they almost had Gabbidon’s mirror image. His battling display in defence went a long way to saving Leeds. Then McAnuff hit the bar as well. It was scarcely believable.

Cardiff will survive their present woes, too, if they continue to play as they did. “But hard luck and hitting the woodwork won’t be enough next time,” warned Lawrence. “Rotherham is a must, must, must-win game.”

STAR MAN: Paul Parry (Cardiff City)

Player ratings. Cardiff City: Warner 6, Williams 6, Vidmar 6, Gabbidon 8, Barker 6, McAnuff 7, O’Neil 7, Boland 7, Parry 8, Campbell 5 (Jerome 71min, 6), Thorne 6

Leeds United: Sullivan 7, Kelly 7, Carlisle 8, Butler 6, Crainey 6, Richardson 5 (Joachim 61min, 6), Wright 6, Gregan 5, Pugh 5, Ormerod 6, Deane 5 (Ricketts 64min, 5)

Referee: P T Crossley

Attendance: 17,006

Explore Football

• Premier League

• Football League

• Scotland

• European Football

• International Football

• TheGame

• Live Match Tracker

• The Fink Tank

• Fantasy Football