Soccer: O'Leary proud as Leeds show muscle in Brussels
Leeds manager David O'Leary spoke of his pride at reaching the Champions League quarter-finals - after first being involved in a war of words with Anderlecht boss Aime Anthuenis.
O'Leary and his players celebrated another famous European night with a 4-1 hammering of the Belgian champions at the Stade Constant Vanden Stock.
Anthuenis, following last week's 2-1 defeat at Elland Road, had predicted his club's 22 consecutive home victory in this return to keep their own hopes of European glory alive.
But more controversially, Anthuenis had claimed Leeds were not a good side, comments he had repeated to the Belgian press on the eve of this game.
They were words which were convincingly rammed back down the throat of the 57-year-old as Leeds produced a devastating first-half performance.
Then as Anthuenis and O'Leary met after the Belgian had given his after match press conference, there was a verbal exchange between the two men.
O'Leary made it plain that the comments from Anthuenis would not be forgotten, with the Anderlecht coach then trying to explain away the meaning of his earlier statements.
Once O'Leary was then seated, he said: "I am immensely proud of my players because there were a lot of things said after the game in Leeds and there were a lot of things written in the papers here before the game.
"It was particularly useful that we have Olivier Dacourt in our side who was able to translate for us from the French.
"The motivation was in the players. They didn't need me. We showed it's not about talking in the papers, it's about going out and doing it on the pitch and shutting a few people up.
"We also looked a lot fresher for having Saturday off - although I would have loved to have been in the FA Cup - and it was a combination of those things which gave us our win.
"I don't think we are a bad little team. I take great pride in coming to a great club like this, and with the record they have here, and beating them well.
"It has been said we are a bad team, or an average team, but our comfort comes in the words from people Fabio Capello, Sven Goran Eriksson and Alberto Zaccheroni who have all said we are not a bad young side."
O'Leary, however, does not feel Leeds can win the tournament outright as he added: "We will try and keep going.
"Nobody gave us a hope in the first group and nobody gave us a hope in this group, but now we are so proud to be in the quarter finals with two games still remaining.
"But we are not going to win this competition. I am just delighted to have reached this stage, so I am not fussed either whether we finish first or second in this group."
