Arsenal returned to its winning ways with a vital 2-1 victory over Everton on Sunday to regain the Premier leadership, while Leeds caretaker boss Peter Reid has warned his new charges they must snap out of their self-pitying gloom if they are to avoid being sucked into a relegation scrap.
Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira scored a controversial winner mid-way through the second half after the champions had been given a scare by Wayne Rooney, who had equalized with a solo effort after Pascal Cygan had headed the home side ahead after eight minutes.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Suggestions Arsenal could collapse after being knocked out of the Champions League proved unfounded as they clinched a crucial victory without ever getting into top gear.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger lavished praise on his side for having passed a "test of mental strength."
"The team have shown how strong they are and how determined they were to recover from the disappointment of going out of the Champions League."
Everton boss David Moyes was pleased with the way in which his side responded after half-time, feeling that they had deserved a point out of the game.
After successive defeats by Blackburn and Valencia, the latter ending their Champions League campaign, Arsenal was badly in need of a confidence boost.
And it arrived quickly from the unlikely source of Cygan.
The French defender's limitations have been one source of Arsenal's recent problems but there were no complaints from the Highbury faithful about the way he met Thierry Henry's eighth-minute corner to put the Gunners ahead.
Everton might have been overrun in the opening stages but they gradually came back into the match and their revival was capped by a superb Rooney goal.
Cutting in from wide on the right, the 17-year-old carried the ball into the penalty box before firing through Cygan's legs and past Stuart Taylor.
At the other end of the table, a 3-1 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield left Leeds with just one win in their last nine matches and just five points clear of the drop zone.
Reid pulled no punches with his assessment of a performance which he said could not be excused by the loss of a string of big names this season because of the club's financial problems.
"There's been a lot of talk about Leeds' plight this season with players going, and how difficult it is for them now," Reid said .
■ Scotland
Inverness Caledonian Thistle repeated its Scottish Cup humiliation of UEFA Cup semifinalist Celtic on Sunday, scoring a 1-0 quarterfinal upset to go with its famous victory three years ago.
Dennis Wyness scored the only goal of the game at the Caledonian Stadium as Celtic, who ousted Liverpool from the UEFA Cup four days ago, was beaten again by the division one club.
Inverness, which beat Celtic 3-1 in February 2000, will face Falkirk or Dundee in the semifinal at neutral Hampden Park. Motherwell meets Dunfermline or Rangers in the other semifinal.
Premier League leader Rangers was held 1-1 by Dunfermline on Sunday while the other quarterfinal between Falkirk and Dundee also goes to a replay after Saturday's 1-1 tie.
``It was an unbelievable performance, the players did all they could do,'' said Inverness manager John Robertson.
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