In the end Leeds United needed a bit of a helping hand to secure the third Champions League place yesterday. But who could deny David O'Leary's young team that after such a dramatic and traumatic season?
Liverpool's slump proved worse than Leeds', but had Gerard Houllier's team beaten Bradford as many expected, they would have leapfrogged Leeds and left them in the UEFA Cup next season.
Paul Jewell's side did their Yorkshire neighbours a huge favour by winning, thanks to a goal from the former Elland Road stalwart David Wetherall.
Yesterday Leeds themselves drew on their dwindling reserves to grasp a point, a team tired at the end of a momentous and unexpected journey.
"We got three-quarters of the way across the ocean," said David O'Leary of his season, "and since then we've been limping into port."
What took the wind out of their sails was the hectic fixture schedule, especially in the crucial month of March, imposed by their run to the UEFA Cup semi-finals. There was also the emotional discharge caused by the death of the two fans in Istanbul. And Leeds' run-in was not helped by Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer being charged with grievous bodily harm.
So it remains a stunning achievement for this self-confessed "naive" manager to take his young guns into the qualifying stages of Europe's elite club tournament. Goodness knows what he will achieve once he wises up. A return to the heights of the Revie years could be within reach.
O'Leary knows though that "we won't be Manchester United for a few years. But if we keep improving we'll get there. When I took this job my aim was to raise the club's profile, get more people to like us and play attractive football."
His future prospects will be helped enormously by the team's appearance in the Champions League. The club reckons that making it through the qualifying round to the group stages will guarantee them £10 million. With a decent run, it could be double that.
This is money Leeds desperately need to compete with other chequebooks. "I've got to improve the quality of the squad and bring in more experience," admitted O'Leary, who has spent only £6 million so far. "When you compare that with Liverpool and Chelsea, we've not done too bad."
The former Everton midfield enforcer Olivier Dacourt is due to join from Lens this week in an £8 million deal, and a defender and striker are likely to follow.
But apart from the cash value, the lure of Champions League participation will help in other ways. Leeds can now attract the sort of players to Elland Road that previously would have turned up their noses at the invitation. And it will also help them keep hold of prodigious talents such as Harry Kewell.
Top-level competition will certainly further the education of the Leeds youngsters, even if a long run in the tournament will tax their limbs much more than this season. Then again, if this latest test proves beyond them, they still have the safety net of dropping down into the UEFA Cup.
Harry Redknapp has once again done well to lead West Ham to their third consecutive top-10 finish, the team's InterToto Cup jaunt taking its toll towards the end of the season. Chelsea or Aston Villa, please note.
Two jaded teams could only produce a scrappy game with few chances. The remaining statistic of note to record was Bowyer's booking, his 15th of the season, more than any other Premiership player. But Leeds' thoughts were on more positive achievements.
West Ham: Bywater, Margas, Ferdinand, Stimac, Potts, Sinclair, Foe, Moncur, Di Canio, Wanchope, Kanoute. Subs Not Used: Feuer, A Newton, McCann, Alexander, Forbes. Sent Off: Foe (90). Booked: Moncur, Kanoute.
Leeds: Martyn, Kelly, Woodgate, Radebe, Mills, Jones, Bakke (Bowyer 78), McPhail, Wilcox (Huckerby 88), Bridges (Smith 29), Kewell. Subs Not Used: Robinson, Duberry. Booked: Mills, Bowyer.
Referee: G Barber (Tring).
