Date: Saturday, 4th April 1998.

Venue: Elland Road, Leeds.

Competition: English Premier League.

Score: Leeds United 2 Barnsley 1

Scorers: Leeds United: Hasselbaink, Moses (o.g.). Barnsley: Hristov.

Attendance: 37,749.

Teams:

Leeds United: Martyn; Kelly, Wetherall, Molenaar, Hiden; Bowyer, Halle, Ribeiro (McPhail), Harte; Hasselbaink, Kewell. Unused Subs: Hopkin, Jackson, Lilley, Beeney.

Barnsley: Watson; Eaden, Moses, Jones (Fjortoft), Morgan; Refearn, Bullock (Marcelle), Bosancic, Barnard; Ward, Hristov.

Referee: Mr K.W. Burge (Tonypandy).

Five days before meeting Barnsley at Elland Road in 1998, Leeds United's squad had endured the terrifying experience of a crash-landing at Stanstead Airport. David O'Leary's players were returning north after a 3-0 defeat to West Ham when their plane caught fire and ended up nose-down at the end of a runway. Peter Ridsdale, United's chairman at the time, said: "Everyone on board could see the flames and the explosion. Everyone seemed to be shouting: 'Fire! There's a fire!' "We knew we were coming down. The flames were getting worse. We had just taken off, you know the plane is full of fuel and you just hope you land before it explodes." The traumatic events left the Elland Road squad badly shaken, but the pursuit of European football quickly focused their attention, and by the following weekend it was Barnsley's turn to go down in flames.

The Tykes needed a huge favour from United with relegation from the Premiership beckoning, but the gift of the day was handed to Leeds as an own goal from Adrian Moses presented the hosts with a 2-1 victory ten minutes from time. Barnsley had travelled to Elland Road with a dreadful record outside Oakwell, and by the end of the season their away statistics showed three wins, one draw and a crippling tally of fifteen defeats.

The South Yorkshire club were well on the way to losing their battle for survival by the time they arrived in Leeds, but United's dream of qualifying for the UEFA Cup was very much alive. David O'Leary's side held fifth place in the Premiership, the position they would keep until the end of the season, and Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink set them on their way against Barnsley with a twentieth-minute goal. Bruno Ribeiro's corner was flicked to the back post where David Wetherall was waiting to nod the ball across Barnsley's goal. His assist left Hasselbaink with the easy task of converting his seventeenth goal of the season.

The chances continued to flow for Leeds, and O'Leary's side should have been in firm control before the Tykes produced an equaliser out of nothing sixty seconds before half-time. A defensive lapse allowed Gjorgi Hristov to beat Nigel Martyn with a rasping shot, and O'Leary was forced to alter his plans at the break as Bruno Ribeiro limped off injured.

But United dominated the second half and the winner finally came in the eightieth minute when Moses hammered the winning goal past his own keeper under pressure from Leeds' attack. Hristov compounded Barnsley's frustration by earning himself a late red card, and Oakwell boss Danny Wilson admitted: "Leeds absolutely pummelled us." Overall I don't think for one minute we deserved to get anything out of the game."

Match Action:

Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink climbs high to head the first goal Stephen McPhail challenges Nicky Eaden

Harry Kewell tangles with Nicky Eaden Gunnar Halle watches Bruno Ribeiro tussles with

Clint Marchelle Neil Redfearn

Martin Hiden shows determination to win the ball

Teams:

Leeds United: 1997-98

Back Row Bruno Ribeiro, Richard Jobson, David Wetherall, Mark Beeney, Nigel Martyn,

Robert Molenaar, Gunnar Halle, Lee Bowyer.

Middle Row: David O’Leary (Assistant Manager), David Swift (Physio), Pierre Laurent,

Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, Lee Sharpe, David Hopkin, Harry Kewell, Andy Gray, Rod Wallace,

David Williams (Coach).

Front Row: Ian Harte, Alf-Inge Haaland, Lucas Radebe, Peter Ridsdale(Chairman),

George Graham (Manager), David Robertson, Derek Lilley, Gary Kelly.

Players:

Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink and an own goal from while Georgi Hristov got one for Barnsley Ian Harte was becoming a regular

Adrian Moses were the Leeds scorers but was later sent off

Martin Hiden was settling Bruno Ribeiro’s corner was flicked on by David Wetherall for the first goal

in well in the United defence

David Watson shone in goal, but it was a hard time for Scott Jones and Chris Morgan who had missed the game at Oakwell,

as had the substitutes Jan-Aage Fjortoft and Clint Marchelle