LEEDS, Oct 19: A Salif Diao strike mid-way through the second half and an astonishing late miss by Harry Kewell combined to sink Leeds and send Liverpool - temporarily at least - to the top of the Premiership for the first time this season.

The three points put Gerard Houllier’s side a point ahead of champions Arsenal, who were playing at Everton later in the day.

Leeds have now taken just one point from their last four matches and are sliding towards the bottom half of the table.

It was at half-time during a Liverpool-Leeds clash on October 13 last year the Frenchman was rushed to hospital where he underwent 11 hours of life-saving heart surgery. Five months later he was back in charge of the team.

Liverpool skipper Sami Hyypia acknowledged goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek had kept them in the match.

Liverpool’s winner had a made-in-Senegal stamp on it.

Diouf, who started ahead of Owen, found space on the left of the area and fired in a low cross that Diao clipped past Paul Robinson at his near post.

Leeds, who were denied by a string of Dudek saves as they dominated the first half, should have snatched a point five minutes from time.

Liverpool’s Norwegian left-back John Arne Riise lost possession, allowing Mark Viduka to race clear on the right.

His cross picked out his Australian compatriot Kewell who looked to have done everything right as he dragged the ball back and sidestepped Dudek.

But with the goal gaping, he somehow managed to blast his right foot shot over the bar from just outside the six-yard box.

Kewell had come closest to breaking the deadlock for Leeds in the first half.

He rose above the Liverpool defence to meet Ian Harte’s free-kick and his looping header beat Dudek only to come back off the crossbar.

Dudek, whose form won him an extended and improved contract at Liverpool on Friday, had produced a stunning save to deny an earlier Kewell header off Lee Bowyer’s cross.

Results:

Blackburn Rovers 5 Newcastle United 2

Everton 2 Arsenal 1

Fulham 1 Manchester United 1

Leeds United 0 Liverpool 1

Manchester City 0 Chelsea 3

Sunderland 0 West Ham United 1

W. Bromwich Albion 1 Birmingham City 1

—Reuters