Full TimeSecond Half ends, Leeds United 2, Nottingham Forest 1.Post updateAttempt saved. Luke Ayling (Leeds United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.Post updateAttempt blocked. Patrick Bamford (Leeds United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.Post updateAttempt blocked. Tyler Roberts (Leeds United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.Post updateAttempt saved. Tyler Roberts (Leeds United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.Post updateAttempt saved. Tyler Roberts (Leeds United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Leeds United secured a crucial victory in their bid to remain in the Premier League, with Jack Harrison and Luis Sinisterra scoring to overturn a deficit against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest and move out of the bottom three. In a tense but largely one-sided ‘six-pointer’ at Elland Road, Orel Mangala had given the visitors the lead with a neat low finish from the edge of the box after a swift counter-attack.
However, Leeds responded in style, with Harrison following up to fire in after Keylor Navas could only parry Marc Roca’s shot from range. The hosts then continued to pressurise Forest, and Sinisterra made them pay in first-half injury time, cutting inside from the left and onto his right foot for a superb curled finish into the bottom corner. The win took Javi Gracia’s side to 29 points and up to 13th – far from out of the woods yet, but with renewed confidence and a strengthened platform on which to build.
The defeat for Forest plunged them further into trouble and increased the pressure on manager Steve Cooper. They are now winless in eight games and above the relegation zone only on goal difference. This was always going to be a defining week for Leeds’ season, with another relegation-threatened side in Crystal Palace visiting Elland Road on Sunday, and this was a fine start to make hay in this month’s five games.
Gracia has taken 10 points from his six games in charge since succeeding Jesse Marsch as manager in February, adapting his tactics to the surroundings. He set up Leeds to contain and counter-attack without a recognised striker at Arsenal on Saturday, but unleashed more of his attacking arsenal here – understandably looking to take the game to a rival who had earned just six points on the road this season, scoring only four goals in the process.
Patrick Bamford started and proved a menace with his clever running and hold-up play, while Harrison and Sinisterra were the real stars with their close control and dribbling skills giving Forest all manner of trouble. Roca was also superb in midfield with both his disruption of Forest and his distribution to get the home side on the front foot.
The victory was fully deserved, regardless of the scoreline, and continued the impressive work done by Gracia since he took over. Forest had come into the game off the back of seven winless league games, their last victory coming at home to Leeds two months ago – a result that ultimately cost Marsch his job as Whites boss. If rumours are to be believed, this return fixture could cost another manager his job, with Cooper at risk in the face of some seriously faltering form.
They had the perfect platform here to ease their plight courtesy of Mangala’s fine 12th-minute finish – a goal coming after an opening in which they had looked slick on the break and also hit the post from an Emmanuel Dennis shot after Leeds had failed to clear a corner. But having taken the lead, they retreated into their shell and it cost them as they threw on every creative and attacking player from the bench and fed off Leeds’ anxiety in a tense finale, but never properly tested Illan Meslier.