It wasn't just the 3-2 win over high-flying Birmingham that cheered up Leeds United's fans and new caretaker-boss John Carver.

It was the much-needed return of entertaining football to Elland Road that offered hope that the missing thousands - fewer than 19,000 turned up for this match - can be attracted back.

Carver, in temporary charge after Kevin Blackwell's sacking, had promised to make entertainment the watchword of his tenure, no matter how brief that spell may be, and so it proved as the ground staged its most attractive 90 minutes of the season, lifting Leeds out of the relegation zone to boot.

Carver was encouraged by the way his players matched a side previously beaten just once since losing Premiership status. He said: "I gave them ten out of ten in terms of response and performance. I know it won't always be like that but I'm delighted with them."

There was a difficult decision to make after Ian Moore and Robbie Blake had scored in the midweek win over Barnet, but Carver left both out to bring back David Healy and Geoff Horsfield, the latter having passed a late fitness test.

The decision was justified when Healy took advantage of bad marking to drill Eddie Lewis's free-kick into the net after six minutes and later doubled his goal tally for the season by converting a penalty awarded for Marcos Painter's foul on Horsfield.

In between, Birmingham levelled when Martin Taylor's 13th-minute shot hit the left post, struck keeper Tony Warner and went into the net.

United have had their share of bad luck this season and it seemed they would be denied victory when Nicklas Bendtner, Blues' gangly Danish teenage striker on loan from Arsenal, gave Stephen Crainey the slip and fired into the far corner.

But fortune swung back United's way when Steve Stone's 85th-minute free-kick was headed into his own net by Olivier Tebily.

Crainey said: "Our preparations were no different under John Carver, but the difference was we got the rub of the green that we've lacked in many games this season."

The 71st-minute dismissal of right-back Damien Johnson for an ugly challenge on Ian Westlake was Birmingham's fourth red card in ten games and boss Steve Bruce made no excuses for the defender.

However, Bruce claimed Birmingham should have had a penalty when Bendtner fell to Matthew Kilgallon's tackle.

Leeds match facts

Coca-Cola Championship: Leeds United 2, Birmingham City 2 (at Elland Road)

Leeds United: Warner, Kelly, Kilgallon, Butler, Crainey, Derry (Stone 81), Nicholls, Douglas, Lewis (Westlake 69), Horsfield (Moore 77), Healy. Subs (not used): Sullivan, Foxe. Booked: Derry. Goals: Healy 6, 15 (pen), Tebily (og) 85.

Birmingham: Maik Taylor, Johnson, Martin Taylor (Tebily 51), Jaidi, Painter, Danns, Dunn, Nafti (Larsson 69), McSheffrey, Bendtner, Campbell (Jerome 82). Subs (not used): Doyle, Forsell. Booked: Campbell, Dunn, Painter. Sent off: Johnson. Goals: Warner (og) 13, Bendtner 74.

Referee: S Tanner.

Attendance: 18,898.