ALL the talk right now may be of Wayne Rooney and Jermaine Jenas, but it is not so long ago that Seth Johnson was being hyped as a precocious young international talent. These days the shaven-headed Leeds midfielder tends to be dismissed as a one-cap wonder who struggles to get a Premiership game, but yesterday Johnson jogged a few memories by rivalling Joe Cole for the man-of-the-match honours.

Johnson’s one England appearance, in a friendly against Italy, perhaps flattered to deceive, but his career at Elland Road, following a £7m move from Derby, has largely been undone by the injuries which scuppered a mooted transfer to Middlesbrough last month.

Finally fit, Johnson not only dominated central midfield — eclipsing Michael Carrick — and scored the decisive goal, but played a big part in the second-half dismissal of Freddie Kanoute.

Moreover, his vibrant performance diverted Elland Road season ticket-holders from indulging in either anti-Peter Ridsdale or anti-Lee Bowyer protests, both the Leeds chairman and former player escaping relatively lightly. Indeed, the brief post-match demonstration against Ridsdale saw annoyed fans almost outnumbered by stewards.

Leeds manager Terry Venables might have been at pains to tell everyone what a “likeable lad” Bowyer really is, but the official club magazine took a different view, its latest edition telling everybody how their former “running man” had become “jogging man” once he had set his cynical sights on a lucrative, Bosman-assisted, move.

Deployed on the right of Glenn Roeder’s midfield, Bowyer was booed every time he touched the ball, which, initially at least, was quite a bit. Early on he won a free kick in a dangerous position after being clumsily hacked down by Michael Duberry, but Paul Robinson proved equal to Paolo Di Canio’s attempt.

It has been a long time since Di Canio joined Kanoute in West Ham’s attack at an assignment so far from London, but with neither man quite fully match fit, they both appeared somewhat rustier legged than of old, their powers of acceleration tantalisingly failing to match their speed of thought.

The appreciably more zestful Cole showed them the way, curling in a lovely ball from the left which was missed by both visiting strikers before being cleared by Raul Bravo. The Spaniard, on loan from Real Madrid, was denied regular La Liga action by Roberto Carlos.

Next, Thomas Repka’s volleyed back pass was intercepted by Eirik Bakke and Leeds’s makeshift centre-forward — a deployment necessitated by Mark Viduka’s suspension and Alan Smith’s illness — headed firmly goalwards. Fortunately for Repka, the ball was diverted from its trajectory towards the top corner by a one-handed save from David James.

Had he passed a medical, Johnson would be at Middlesbrough now, but, instead, he made a rare appearance in Venables’s midfield, from where he scored an even rarer goal, his first for Leeds, from 20 yards with his weaker right foot. The effort was bent beyond James’s grasp by a slight deflection off Ian Pearce.

At the beginning of the second half Robinson looked relieved when Cole’s swerving shot struck a post. Within minutes, the Leeds goalkeeper played a more active part in concluding the afternoon’s best move, saving impressively from Cole again after Bowyer’s surge upfield and fine crossfield pass to Di Canio had been astutely swept into the youngster’s feet.

Brazenly lippy throughout, Bowyer swiftly collected a yellow card for dissent, but he managed to steer well clear of the subsequent shenanigans. Tempers flared as Johnson inadvertently barged into the back of Kanoute, who foolishly responded by raising an arm and slapping his head. With play continuing around them, Dominic Matteo then squared up to the Frenchman. When Dermot Gallagher finally called a halt to the chaos, he had no hesitation in sending off Kanoute.

Creditably refusing to defend Kanoute, Roeder dismissed suggestions that West Ham’s relegation plight is now “desperate”. “I wouldn’t agree; that’s not a very helpful thing to say,” retorted the visiting manager. “This was our best defensive performance for ages.”

If Roeder can look on the bright side, so should Leeds. You never know, there just might be life after Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate after all.

Leeds: Robinson, Mills, Duberry, Matteo (Kilgallon 90), Bravo, Kelly, Okon, Seth Johnson, Wilcox, Bakke (McMaster 90), Milner.

Subs Not Used: Martyn, Harte, Barmby.

Booked: Bravo, Okon.

Goals: Seth Johnson 20.

West Ham: James, Johnson, Repka, Pearce, Brevett (Sinclair 83), Bowyer, Lomas, Carrick (Hutchison 90), Cole, Kanoute, Di Canio (Defoe 73).

Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, Dailly.

Sent Off: Kanoute (70).

Booked: Brevett, Bowyer.

Att: 40,126

Ref: D Gallagher (Oxfordshire).

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