TALK about comebacks. Leeds were 3-0 down at half time and, insofar as Southampton reckoned, a team well beaten — not least by a goal from that forgotten footballer Marian Pahars.

They then scored four times in 15 minutes, which was as unexpected as ultimately it was well merited. What was more, the first of these goals from Paul Butler did not come until the 70th minute following a cross by Gary Kelly, as did their second by Robbie Blake.

David Healy then equalised through a penalty after Danny Higginbotham had handled, and, with five minutes remaining, Liam Miller grabbed the winner. And to think this was supposed to be a celebration of Pahars’ return.

Even great Leeds names from the past like Don Revie and Billy Bremner would have been hard put to bring about such a result.

Manager Kevin Blackwell said: “All the plaudits go to the players. This is something you see very rarely in football and you would have to be the most eternal optimist to think 3-0 down was a platform for victory.

“For the first time in three or four years Leeds have had a bit of luck and from the laundry lady to the chairman we believe this club can be turned round.”

Southampton boss Harry Redknapp reckoned he had never seen anything like it in his many years in the game. The precursor to Leeds’ recovery was that he had to make three substitutions just before or during half time: Pahars went off with a knee injury, Claus Lundekvam with a possible broken rib and Dennis Wise with a torn thigh muscle.

Redknapp said: “To lose was one of the worst moments for me as a coach but having to disrupt the team so much did not help our cause at all.”

Pahars had not started a league match for his club since April 2004. That is an inordinately long time for a player in his late 20s to be out of action and there have been moments when Redknapp has appeared extremely frustrated by such a long recovery.

All that was forgotten midway through the first half. Not for the first time in recent weeks, the skill of Theo Walcott was to the fore in the creation of a goal. His low cross was hacked to safety by the back-pedalling Leeds defence and from Nigel Quashie’s corner, Michael Svensson headed back to Pahars at the far post.

The chance could not have been more simple as the Latvian nodded the ball over the goal line, yet the confidence he would have gained from scoring on his return was considerable. Then Quashie scored twice before the interval. The first,after 34 minutes, came when Walcott’s sheer pace took him past Matthew Kilgallon and he picked out his colleague unmarked 15 yards from goal. Quashie’s finish was struck with accuracy into Neil Sullivan’s left-hand corner.

Just before half time, Dan Harding clearly handled Matthew Oakley’s drive. Quashie took the penalty and, in spite of a delay while the goalkeeper was spoken to by the referee for jigging around on his goal line, the kick was netted.

Next came the enforced substitutions. But Redknapp insisted: “It wasn’t as if we were hammered. Leeds had four attacks and scored four goals. I cannot put my finger on exactly what went wrong but we were a bit nervy. These things are hard to take but occasionally they happen.”

Butler’s goal was headed in and the second by Blake neatly finished after Kelly had overlapped for a second time. Again, there was a significant lack of proper marking. Healy, the match-winner for Northern Ireland against England earlier this autumn and who was returning after a six-and-a-half-week injury absence, took the penalty himself when his shot had been handled by Higginbotham.

Then Miller, on loan from Manchester United struck the winner from Rob Hulse’s cross and Leeds had completed a task that looked impossible.

It was all watched by a Premiership-sized crowd of 33,173. Perhaps Leeds can yet return there. Blackwell certainly thinks they can but he added: “I do feel Southampton will look back and wonder how on earth they lost.”

STAR MAN: Robbie Blake (Leeds)

Player ratings. Southampton: Niemi 6, Delap 6, Svensson 6, Lundekvam 6 (Hajto 45min, 6), Higginbotham 6, Oakley 6, Quashie 7, Wise 6 (Fuller 45min, 5), Pahars 7 (McCann 45min, 6), Walcott 7, Ormerod 6.

Leeds: Sullivan 6, Kelly 7, Butler 7, Harding 5, Richardson 6 (Healy 67min, 7), Kilgallon 6, Lewis 6, Miller 6, Derry 6, Hulse 6, Blake 8.

Scorers: Southampton: Pahars 27, Quashie 35, 45 (pen)

Leeds: Butler 71, Blake 77, Healy 84 (pen), Miller 86

Referee: I Williamson

Attendance: 30,173

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