Leeds United 2 Nottingham Forest 1: Bad boy Diouf goes a long way to earning fans’ trust

Controversy has never been far away either, regardless of club affiliations with his spells at Liverpool, Rangers, Blackburn and Bolton all having seen the Senegal international never far from the headlines.

Even last season at Doncaster Rovers, where he is widely acknowledged to be one of the most talented players to pull on the red and white shirt, Diouf managed to add to his notoriety with a couple of ill-judged incidents that included allegations of a nightclub visit just hours before a game at Southampton.

Such a lengthy charge sheet was why more than a few eyebrows were raised in the summer when the 31-year-old pitched up at Elland Road, not least because just a couple of seasons earlier Neil Warnock had branded the forward “lower than a sewer rat” after a particularly stormy clash between QPR and Blackburn.

Six weeks on, however, and Diouf seems to have finally found his perfect match with a club who are arguably as reviled across the country as he is.

Against Nottingham Forest, Diouf produced arguably his finest display yet for Leeds. Not only did the two-time African Footballer of the Year create both of United’s goals, but he also used all his experience and knowhow to while away time during a second half onslaught from Sean O’Driscoll’s men.

Michael Tonge, the loanee signed from Stoke City to plug one of several gaps in Warnock’s injury-ravaged squad, is in no doubt as to how vital Diouf is to any prospects of bringing success to Elland Road this term.

“Dioufy has a lot of experience and I thought he showed that against Forest,” said the former Sheffield United midfielder after tasting victory for the first time with his new club.

“When you have younger players like we do at the moment, they sometimes need guidance and I thought he did that really well against Forest. He’s been outstanding since I came to the club.

“He can hold the ball up and, like he did at the end, he is the sort who can give the rest of us a breather.

“That is vital in the Championship when it can be so frenetic. He had a hand in both goals against Forest and also won the penalty against Hull on Tuesday.

“I can’t remember playing against Dioufy too much in my career.

“But he is great to have in my team. He is a nice guy as well.

“The big thing, though, is his quality.

“It can make all the difference in a division like this.

“Having someone with that in your team means you always have a chance.”

Tonge’s praise of Diouf after Leeds had exacted a modicum of revenge on Forest for the 7-3 club-record mauling handed out at Elland Road last season was understandable.

The former Liverpool forward, looking decidedly fitter than he did when first pulling on a white shirt against Shrewsbury Town on August 11, produced his best display yet for Warnock.

His role in both goals was pivotal, particularly in United’s opener on 14 minutes when the quality of his turn and cross caused panic in the Forest ranks. But perhaps the most impressive factor in Diouf’s performance was the part he played in Leeds negotiating what could have been a tricky final few minutes by continually taking the ball to the corner and playing out time.

Forest tried time and time again to put a stop to his game-killing antics but they couldn’t get near him.

And when youngsters such as Sam Bryam and Aidy White started to take their lead from Diouf, Forest’s fate was effectively sealed with even a generous six minutes of stoppage time being unable to yield so much as a shot for the visitors.

Diouf’s impressive afternoon began inside four minutes with it being his flighted corner that Tom Lees headed agonisingly wide of Lee Camp’s left hand post.

It was a let-off that Forest failed to heed as Diouf created the space out wide on the right to send over a cross that Sam Byram couldn’t reach but the ball fell to Becchio, who gleefully smashed it into the net from close range.

For United’s second, Becchio inadvertently turned provider when, after being found by a clever pass from Diouf, the Argentinian’s path to goal was blocked by Daniel Ayala.

The ball then ran loose to Dominic Poleon, who rifled in from the edge of the area to mark his first senior start for the club with a goal.

Just before the break, Becchio should have made it 3-0 after being found by Byram but the United top scorer could only stab the ball wide.

Once the second half got underway, such a glaring miss looked like it could prove costly as Forest, transformed by the introduction of Lewis McGugan at the interval, took control.

The visitors pulled a goal back on the hour when Greg Halford’s long throw was flicked into the net by Blackstock after Paddy Kenny had made a hash of his attempted punch.

Suddenly, Forest’s tails were up as Halford almost managed a repeat with another hurled missile from the right flank that resulted in James Coppinger being denied by a fine save from Kenny.

The dangerous McGugan then curled a free-kick an inch or so wide of Kenny’s upright before what looked like a strong appeal for a penalty was turned down after referee Andy D’Urso adjudged Tonge to have blocked another free-kick from the substitute legally.

After that, however, Leeds – thanks to Diouf – regained control of the game to see out the remaining time and clinch a welcome victory.