THEY had come to bury Terry Venables but, with tongue ever so slightly in cheek, the Leeds United supporters left the Reebok Stadium showering their 59-year-old manager with hymns of praise. It remains to be seen whether this, only their second victory in the Barclaycard Premiership since September 14, will prove a turning point for Venables in what has so far been a disastrous reign at Elland Road, but last night, at least, his luck was in, with three extraordinary goals enough to see him lauded as a “football genius” by the travelling fans.

The burden on the former England coach will be a little lighter this morning, with a five-point buffer separating his team from the relegation zone, but he was honest enough to recognise last night that the pressure will be back on if Leeds fail to follow up on Saturday with victory over Southampton at Elland Road, where they have been beaten in their past five league matches. “This is just one game that we’ve won tonight,” he said. “We’re still in a part of the league where we don’t want to be, but there’s nothing better than winning. Hopefully this will give us something to build on.”

Certainly there were signs of encouragement for Venables, as his players for once showed fighting spirit of the right sort, but, above all, there was a healthy sprinkling of the luck that has eluded him for the past three months. Sam Allardyce, the Bolton Wanderers manager, put it succinctly. “You tell me when Danny Mills has scored from 25 yards with his left foot,” he said. “Probably never. You tell me when Jason Wilcox has scored from 25 yards with his right foot. Probably never. And in between times, we’ve given Robbie Fowler a goal that was offside.”

For good measure, there was also a missed penalty by Youri Djorkaeff in the 25th minute, when Venables admitted he feared the fates were going to conspire against him again. Instead, the Bolton forward saw his shot saved by Paul Robinson, a moment that summed up a miserable night for Allardyce’s struggling team. In all the furore surrounding Venables, the implications of this defeat on Bolton should not be forgotten. Their 4-2 success at Elland Road a month ago was their only Premiership victory in the past 13 attempts.

With Lee Bowyer left on the bench, a decision that Venables attributed to an ankle injury rather than the player’s disgraceful actions during the fractious Uefa Cup third-round second leg defeat by Málaga at Elland Road last Thursday, Leeds appeared to lack the necessary fight in midfield. The portents for Venables were not good during the opening ten minutes, in which his side were almost overrun. The complexion of the game, though, was changed in the twelfth minute by a goal as spectacular as it was unexpected. Mills had previously scored just three times in as many years, but this time he surged forward, traded passes with Harry Kewell and beat Jussi Jaaskelainen from 25 yards. The second goal, just four minutes later, was no less frustrating for Allardyce. Ian Harte’s right-foot cross, a collector’s item in itself, was left by everyone and bounced up against the far post. Kewell’s follow-up was saved, but Fowler was unmarked, apparently offside, to convert the rebound from six yards.

Leeds were 2-0 ahead having barely won a tackle in midfield but, the climate of the game having changed to their liking, they warmed to their task. Their newfound battling qualities were evident midway through the first half, when they fiercely contested the award of a penalty for handball against Harte as he lay on the ground.

But, after a two-minute delay, justice was done as Robinson dived to his right to push Djorkaeff’s spot-kick against the post.

There was little, in truth, to distinguish the teams beyond the greater composure Leeds showed in crucial areas. Where the visiting defence had Jonathan Woodgate, cool and calm under pressure, Bolton had the erratic Ivan Campo, whose desperate lunges do not inspire confidence in those around him. Where Leeds attacked intelligently, Bolton resorted too often to wild shots from distance.

Stig Tofting did hit the crossbar with a well struck shot from 25 yards, but, for all their possession, Bolton rarely looked like forcing their way back into the game. Instead, Wilcox, after 75 anonymous minutes, cut inside from the left wing to make it 3-0 with a goal just as spectacular and just as unlikely as Mills’s effort. “It must be all that long-range shooting practice we’ve been doing in training,” Venables joked. In reality, fortune was smiling on him. But for how long?

BOLTON WANDERERS (3-5-1-1): J Jaaskelainen — G Bergsson, I Campo, B N’Gotty (sub: M Whitlow, 78min) — A Barness, S Tofting (sub: G Farrelly, 79), P Frandsen, A Okocha (sub: J Walters, 90), S Charlton — Y Djorkaeff — H Pedersen. Substitutes not used: J Smith, K Poole. Booked: Campo.

LEEDS UNITED (4-4-1-1): P Robinson — D Mills, J Woodgate, T Lucic, I Harte — G Kelly, P Okon, E Bakke, J Wilcox — H Kewell — R Fowler (sub: S Johnson, 79). Substitutes not used: M Duberry, L Bowyer, J Milner, N Martyn. Booked: Okon, Harte, Mills.

Referee: G Poll.