Leeds 0 Chelsea 0

By Ian Parkes, PA Sport

Referee Mike Reed took centre stage with 16 minutes of pure hilarity - although no-one from Leeds or Chelsea left Elland Road with a smile on their face.

Birmingham man-in-black Reed was clearly suffering from a dose of yellow fever as he dished out 13 bookings, which included the dismissal of Chelsea's French World Cup star Frank Leboeuf.

In one of the worst spells of over-zealous officialdom seen this season, and probably for many a game, Reed went card-crazy towards the end of first half.

Normally when a Leeds-Chelsea game has finished with so many names having been taken, players leave the field covered in bumps, bruises and cuts after an all-out war.

But to be fair to both sides, this was not the kind of battle which has been so prevalent down the years, more a case of the referee having lost the plot.

It started with five Chelsea bookings in the space of nine minutes, with Gianfranco Zola the first to see yellow in the 29th minute for a foul on Harry Kewell.

Italian compatriot Roberto Di Matteo followed within seconds for his tackle on David Hopkin and was soon joined by Leboeuf, who was handed a caution for raising his arms in mock triumph when Reed finally gave a decision in favour of the visitors.

Keeper Ed De Goey and, perhaps less unsurprisingly, skipper Dennis Wise also went in the book for fouls on Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Hopkin respectively.

But not to be outdone, Leeds duo Lee Bowyer and Robert Molenaar were also part of the booking avalanche, which finally ended with the worst decision of the game in the final minute of the half.

Michael Duberry, who just a minute earlier had a goal disallowed for offside, was harshly adjudged to have brought down Hasselbaink in the area.

The Dutch international, who missed two penalties towards the end of last season, failed to make amends as his straight drive was saved by the legs of Holland team-mate De Goey.

With all those bookings - eight in those 16 minutes mad minutes - it was not surprising that someone should see red, with the man to go being Leboeuf.

There was no doubt in anybody's mind, however, that Leboeuf should have been sent off as his chop from behind on Kewell was the most deserving case for a card.

Reed, however, did not stop there as Celestine Babayaro became the seventh Chelsea name to be taken for his chop down on Hasselbaink, who also was flashed the yellow, along with substitute Clyde Wijnhard and skipper Lucas Radebe, taking United's tally to five.

Through all the mayhem there was a decent game which took place as Chelsea are still unbeaten since the opening game of the season, while Leeds drew their seventh Premiership match this term.

Leeds' teenage keeper Paul Robinson, standing in for England international Nigel Martyn due to a rib injury, pulled off stunning saves from Brian Laudrup and Zola.

The two stops made amends for his 14th-minute error when he pawed at Wise's vicious inswinging corner, but was saved by former Chelsea wing-back and 1.6million summer signing Danny Granville, who headed the ball off the line.

De Goey was not to be denied his moments of glory either, particularly in the 80th minute when Hasselbaink struck a first-time Stephen McPhail cross perfectly, only to again be denied by the keeper at full-stretch.

But the day belonged to Reed in a game which could easily be described as a cautionary tale.

Teams

Leeds: Robinson, Radebe, Woodgate, Molenaar, Hiden, Hopkin (Haaland 72), Bowyer, McPhail, Granville, Hasselbaink (Wijnhard 80), Kewell.

Subs Not Used: Wetherall, Halle, Santos.

Booked: Bowyer, Molenaar, Hasselbaink, Wijnhard, Radebe.

Chelsea: De Goey, Ferrer, Leboeuf, Duberry, Babayaro, Zola (Poyet 66), Di Matteo, Desailly, Wise, Laudrup, Casiraghi (Flo 76).

Subs Not Used: Lambourde, Nicholls, Hitchcock.

Sent Off: Leboeuf (61).

Booked: Zola, Di Matteo, Leboeuf, De Goey, Wise, Duberry, Babayaro.

Att: 36,292

Ref: M Reed (Birmingham).