Leeds 1 Burnley 0: Austin ensures Leeds gain their due reward

Jamaica international Austin latched on to El-Hadji Diouf’s excellent through-ball just after the hour-mark and swept the ball home first time.

A second straight win lifts Leeds further away from relegation trouble and marks an impressive start for former Reading boss McDermott, who replaced Neil Warnock on Friday in time to take charge of Saturday’s derby win over Sheffield Wednesday.

Some of Leeds’s football, particularly in the second half, belied the gloom that had enveloped Elland Road before Warnock departed following four straight defeats 17 days ago.

Burnley were by no means over-run, but in the absence of leading goalscorer Charlie Austin created little in front of goal and are now looking nervously over their shoulders after slipping to within three points of the relegation zone. The visitors’ 28-goal leading scorer Austin had emergency surgery to remove his appendix yesterday morning after falling ill on Monday and will miss the rest of the season.

Leeds fans were audibly appreciative of the fare on show as their side passed the ball with patience and purpose and they were duly rewarded in the 62nd minute.

Diouf showed fine technique to control Ross McCormack’s cross-field pass and clipped a perfectly-weighted ball over the top for Austin to run on to and convert with a first-time side-footed finish.

Leeds: Kenny, Byram, Lees, Pearce, Warnock, Green, Austin, Tonge, Varney, Diouf, McCormack (Somma 84). Unused substitutes: Ashdown, Drury, White, Habibou, Poleon, Hall.

Burnley: Grant,Trippier, Shackell, Long, Mee (Lafferty 45), Kacaniklic, McCann, Marney, Wallace (Ings 65), Vokes, Paterson (Stanislas 53). Unused substitutes: Jensen, Edgar, Bartley, Stock.

Referee: F Graham (Essex).