Harry Kewell was delighted to kickstart his season with a fine double at Elland Road this afternoon as Leeds moved back to the top of the Barclaycard Premiership table with a 3-0 win over Derby.
Norwegian midfielder Eirik Bakke gave Leeds a first-half lead, heading home from Ian Harte's free-kick and then Kewell burst into action following an indifferent first 70 minutes.
The Australian striker, struggling to capture his best form since returning from last season's long-term ankle injury, cut inside to strike a venomous left-foot shot into the bottom corner after 74 minutes.
And he then powered home a header past the stranded Andy Oakes in the Derby goal following Lee Bowyer's excellent cross three minutes later.
"It's about time I got on the scoresheet," a relieved Kewell told Sky Sports Premiership Plus.
Only some fine goalkeeping from Oakes in the final quarter kept the score down, but it was tough on Derby, who had matched Leeds for long periods with their tenacity and neat passing game, particularly in the first period.
"They were still in the game. They are a good team," said Kewell. "It took time to break them down.
"They came here to win and it took time for us to find the gaps, but when we scored we knew we'd get more chances."
Centre-half Rio Ferdinand, who kept Derby's Italian striker Fabrizio Ravanelli quiet throughout, said: "It was a team effort. We know teams are going to come here to frustrate us, but we have to be strong enough and patient enough to break them down."