The day of reckoning was supposed to be tomorrow for Leeds United With this frustrating defeat it may well have come early They are losing hope as they slide towards the Nationwide. Guppy was again involved, clipping a free-kick from the right to Riccardo Scimeca, whose header into the goalmouth was poked home at close range by Dickov. They were a fine couple of poacher’s goals and so was Leicester’s third, in the 76th minute.Bent pounced to score from 10 yards after Schwarzer lost control of a back-pass by Andrew Davies. It was a shame for Middlesbrough that they were not so attentive from Steve Guppy’s right-wing corner four minutes after the interval. The winger’s low delivery flew through the legs of Scowcroft and was turned in at the near-post by Dickov.It was diminutive Scot’s ninth goal of the season and it was followed, 16 minutes later, by his 10th. Four minutes later, he gained redemption for his earlier error, flinging himself to his left to save Job’s penalty after Dabizas had man-handled the Cameroonian striker.It was a meekly-struck shot, unlike the effort at the other end that would have claimed a first-half injury-time equaliser for Jamie Scowcroft had Danny Mills not produced a brilliant goal-line clearance. Five minutes before the interval Walker showed fine reflexes, saving from Dabizas and Stewart Downing in quick succession.

At the Riverside they were fortunate to get themselves into a winning position, after gifting Middlesbrough the lead. It came courtesy of Ian Walker, who had time and space to clear Dabizas’ back-pass but hoofed the ball off the legs of Job to Juninho, who strode into the penalty area before angling a left-foot drive into the net.Still, Leicester had their errant goalkeeper to thank for reaching half-time with just a single-goal deficit. That was on a par with the Wolves fiasco.” At Molineux Leicester squandered a 3-0 half-time lead. They failed to do so and have not won in 10 League and cup matches now.It was difficult to say which manager had the greater grounds for disappointment, but Adams was the more devastated “Play like that will get us relegated,” he said. “In the last minute and stoppage time we’ve gone from heroes to zeros We’re scared to win games We don’t know how to see them through. Two opportunist strikes by Paul Dickov put City in front before Marcus Bent capitalised on a Mark Schwarzer slip-up to provide Micky Adams’ men with a 3-1 lead and 14 minutes left in which to protect it. Three goals for Middlesbrough, yet their striking deficiency lingers on.

It took two goals in the last two minutes, both touched home by Leicester players (the first credited to Massimo Maccarone but deflected in by Nikos Dabizas, the second a John Curtis own goal) to snatch a draw from the jaws of what would have been a demoralising defeat for Steve McClaren’s side at the Riverside yesterday.
It was a match Middlesbrough ought to have won with some ease but after Juninho gave them an eighth-minute lead Joseph-Desire Job missed from the penalty spot just before the interval, prompting a second-half Leicester fight-back. They showed big balls.”City, in contrast, became increasingly desperate, as they realised that another two points were slipping away. Keegan spent the last 10 minutes out of his seat, repeatedly urging his players to calm down. His pleas fell on deaf ears, but the boos that rang around the City of Manchester Stadium at the final whistle will no doubt still be playing on his sensitive mind.Manchester City 1 Anelka 50Blackburn Rovers 1 Flitcroft 55Half-time: 0-0 Attendance: 47,090. Neill launched a hopeful long ball which Dwight Yorke, profiting from an error by Richard Dunne, nudged into Flitcroft’s path The Blackburn midfielder made no mistake from four yards.