And just like that the match report has landed via Aaron Bower in wet West Yorkshire. Leeds United end the night dancing in the rain, having struck a telling blow in the scrap for Premier League survival. It may not be an enjoyable weekend for Nottingham Forest fans after a limp display from their team tonight.
That concludes our live blog for this evening. Thanks, as ever, for reading and for your emails. Until next time!
“A massive three points,” is the verdict from James Justin, speaking to Sky Sports on the pitch afterwards. “I wouldn’t say we blew them away but we understood what we needed to do. It was nice to score three goals at home. There’s something special about night games here [at Elland Road].”
On Leeds’ next assignment away at Chelsea in midweek, he says: “We’re not afraid of anyone in this league. It’s another chance to pick up points.”
Nottingham Forest fans will now fear getting dragged into a relegation battle. All their eyes will be on Turf Moor tomorrow where West Ham – in-form West Ham – can cut the deficit to just three points.
I Predict A Riot blares out at Elland Road to celebrate the fact Leeds United are now nine points clear of the bottom three, on 29 points with 13 games of the season to go. Safety is within their grasp, credit must go to Daniel Farke for that.
FT: Leeds 3-1 Nottingham Forest
The whistle is blown and Leeds fans can start their Friday night party. They are deserved winners this evening after a first-half blitz from which Nottingham Forest never recovered. The wing-backs Bogle and Gudmunsson were both excellent, the former opening the scoring with a smart run and finish, with Noah Okafor slamming home a second before Dominic Calvert-Lewin got his customary goal to make 3-0.
Forest showed the odd glimpse and pulled a late goal back via the debutant Lorenzo Lucca, but Sean Dyche’s men were a distant second best for the majority of the game.
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90 mins + 7: Aina skews another shot wide. Forest could be just three points clear of the drop zone if West Ham beat Burnley tomorrow.
Sangaré then wriggles away from a challenge and shoots on the turn, Darlow saving well.
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Jayden Bogle is the latest Leeds player to leave stage left to an almighty roar. I must say his attacking output has really surprised me tonight; he’s played like a genuine right-winger and is another contender for the POTM award, surely.
Sebastiaan Bornauw gets a couple of minutes.
90 mins +4: The Leeds backline is dropping ever deeper, but Forest just don’t have it in their locker to break them down tonight. Fire up the Kaiser Chiefs, I think the points are safe, Whites fans.
90 mins +2: Forest can’t get the ball right now, Leeds are doing a great job of managing the game.
Well, they were until Longstaff charged into the back of Ryan Yates to concede a free-kick.
NINE MINUTES added on. Yeah, that’s not gone down too well among the Leeds faithful. Either they’re keen to catch the train home or they worried about a late show from Forest.
90 mins: We’re going to get a hefty chunk of added time because of that injury to Gruev and how long it took to treat him. So perhaps the home fans aren’t resting easy just yet.
Ola Aina has a pop at goal and the ball, I think, lands somewhere between Dewsbury and Halifax. (He skied it)
88 mins: The big Italian is certainly an outlet with his towering frame. He’s had a journeyman career mainly in Serie A but at least offers Forest a point of difference.
Bogle tackles Ndoye brilliantly, but concedes a corner. Another chance here perhaps?
GOAL! Leeds 3-1 Nottingham Forest (Lucca, 86)
Well there is one back for the visitors as Lucca sorts himself out this time and glances home an excellent header from Hutchinson’s swinging cross. He’s off the mark in the Premier League.
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Leeds have had 14 shots to Forest’s 12 and five on target to Forest’s four. Strange how statistics can often be misleading.
84 mins: A spell of champagne football from Leeds nearly brings about another Calvert-Lewin chance. James has brought an injection of pace to the latter stages of this game. A nightmare for a tiring and defeated Forest defence.
82 mins: Okafor trudges off for Leeds after a mammoth effort – he’s getting a standing ovation, deservedly so, for his efforts. Longstaff comes on.
80 mins: Lucca looks an awkward customer up front for Forest … and not necessarily in a good way. He’s all elbows, and in this game has had trouble sorting his body out to take the ball under control, fouling Gudmunsson just now to halt any Forest momentum.
78 mins: It should be 3-1. Ndoye cuts in from the left and puts an inch-perfect cross into the box. It’s begging for someone in a Forest shirt to nod it home, but nobody obliges. Morato was closest, but no cigar.
Dan James gets a big cheer as he makes his Leeds return off the subs’ bench.
77 mins: Ilia Gruev has probably been Player of the Match tonight you know. He’s been indefatigable, continuing to hunt for a potential third assist of the evening.
For Forest, Netz is on for his debut, replacing the beleaguered youngster Abbott.
76 mins: Anderson does well to peel around the back post and keep a corner kick alive, with Ndoye eventually leaning back and skying his shot over from the edge of the box. That’s as close as Forest have come since the break.
74 mins: The delays keep on coming; Zach Abbott has a spot of cramp and needs a helping hand from his teammates as Forest prepare to send in a corner.
73 mins: Gruev has some tissue stuck up his nose and a new shirt on, so he must be fine to continue. On we go.
Leeds’ players remain in the wars, as Aaronson takes a kick to the midriff.
72 mins: We’re still not back under way. The medical team are rightly taking their time with Gruev – a concussion check is part of all this – as the cameras pan to a stern looking Edu Gaspar in the crowd.
This doesn’t look great for Gruev, by the way. Hope he’s OK.
67 mins: Wow, Forest are removing Gibbs-White for Ryan Yates. Ndoye comes on for Hudson-Odoi, too.
66 mins: Another Leeds corner isn’t dealt with this time by Forest and it pinballs around the box for a bit until Gibbs-White brings it clear.
Lucca almost latches on to a couple of crosses from either side, but it fizzles out for Forest and play will stop for a moment as Gruev receives some treatment. He took a bash in that earlier goalmouth scramble.
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64 mins: This must be grim watching for Sean Dyche right now. In contrast, every call Daniel Farke has made has paid off with interest. 4-0 looks likelier than 3-1.
63 mins: The problem for Forest is that they’re semi-pressing with five players, so the backline is easily exposed by a vertical Leeds pass.
Sangaré shows his frustration by piling into Aaronson and earning a deserved yellow card. That’s reckless you know. VAR has had a little look, but it will remain a yellow.
61 mins: Forest had to begin the second half well to stand any chance, but they’ve been dreadful in truth. They’ve afforded Leeds way too much space.
Tony Hughes poses a thinker:
He had to take the offer of course, as we all would have, however what would the footballing world look like for Kalvin Phillips today had he remained with Leeds?
They probably wouldn’t be 3-0 up right now? I jest, I jest.
58 mins: I’m beginning to think Milenkovic without Murillo is like fish without chips, like Lennon without McCartney, like Anderson without Broad … you get the picture.
57 mins: Ampadu’s long throw goes through a crowd of bodies and almost brings about another Leeds chance. This Forest defence is looking like one that has never played together before.
56 mins: Scarves are being waved and songs are being sung all around Elland Road now. It’s going to be a very lively night in west Yorkshire, unless Forest produce something out of the ordinary.
54 mins: Forest are going to bring on Lorenzo Lucca, the beanpole striker on loan from Napoli. Omari Hutchinson is also introduced, with Igor Jesus and Nicolás Domínguez the men sacrificed. Sean Dyche had to do something.
Leeds fan Michael Street is cockahoop:
You mentioned in the preamble (and refer again to it later) that Leeds have a lot of defenders on the pitch... I think you’re missing the point that you are including two wing backs - and they operate more as wingers!
It’s true, Michael, both Bogle and Gudmunsson have been very forward-thinking tonight, offering the extra men in attack for Leeds.
I was about to write about how I thought Elliot Anderson was very good in the first half. He’s so tidy in possession and energetic to the extreme, so much so that it sometimes looks like his teammates aren’t doing enough.
However, a rare mistake on the ball started that Leeds attack down their right, with Bogle snapping around his ankles and later keeping it going for the hosts.
GOAL! Leeds 3-0 Nottingham Forest (Calvert-Lewin, 49)
That could be game, set and match! Leeds keep the attack alive and as the shot comes in, Calvert-Lewin gets a telling touch to direct it home!
HE’S CHESTED THAT IN! From Gruev’s left-footed shot.
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46 mins: There’s a bit of chat about the pitch being fairly heavy and hence the players are expected to fatigue a bit quicker than usual. Even more reason for Forest to make some subs, you would think.
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Second half: We’re back under way. Is there any way back for Nottingham Forest tonight?
No changes yet from Dyche.
An email praising Ilia Gruev from Justin Kavanagh:
What a ball that was from Ilia Gruev to put Jayden Bogle in the clear for the first goal! To pitch a ball with backspin like that holds up even on a wet pitch was a thing of real beauty.
To think that some Leeds fans were more than dubious about Gruev’s inclusion in the starting lineup tonight.
A pair of specs and a half-time cuppa have been supplied. I’m living the dream now …
Unlike Sean Dyche. But what can he and Nottingham Forest do to change things at the break? It may be harsh as he’s not done terribly but it may be worth hooking young Abbott. Forest paid a couple of million for Luca Netz – a specialist left-back – on deadline day so surely it’s worth playing him?
Nicolás Domínguez has looked a little lost on the right flank too, so perhaps either Ndoye or Hutchinson could provide some genuine width there. Let’s see what Dychey does.
I’d suggest that was a very watchable 45 minutes of football but not everyone is impressed, it seems.
“You promised us gnarl but so far the delivery has been disappointing,” emails Richard Hirst. “You’re not even distracting me from the bizarre outfits at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Must do better!”
HT: Leeds 2-0 Forest.
Advantage Daniel Farke’s side at the break. They’ve shown intensity at the right times and used a surge of momentum from the home crowd to shock the visitors and bag a rapid-fire second. As it stands, they’ll be nine points clear of the relegation zone.
I will switch to the glasses at half-time. Just to allay your fears.
One added minute.
44 mins: Darlow saves a deflected Gibbs-White effort! The keeper did well to adjust his dive. It could be that my contact lenses have been in too long today, but I will say it again … Forest look quite unlucky to be 2-0 down.
43 mins: Barring the opening 10 minutes and that five-minute spell when Leeds looked utterly unstoppable and scored twice, Forest have actually held their own well in this game. 2-0 isn’t truly reflective of the game.
It’s not been a complete onslaught.
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40 mins: Sangaré hits a couple of speculative efforts in the general direction of Darlow’s goal. Neither ever looked like troubling the Leeds custodian.
39 mins: A Forest corner is whipped in by Anderson. The England midfielder gets it back and tries a similar cross but, after the headed clearance, here come Leeds on the counter through Aaronson. The home side have all the answers at the moment.
37 mins: Before kick-off I questioned the number of defensive-minded players had Daniel Farke picked, but everything about Leeds tonight has screamed positivity and aggression. It just proves football is not all about shape and tactics; Leeds’ mentality has been spot-on so far and they’re clearly buoyed by their crowd in these home night matches.
35 mins: In Gibbs-White and Anderson, Forest have two really capable ball-players who can haul them back into this match – if only they could find them on the ball more often.
Abbott is penalised for a foul on Okafor just to worsen Dyche’s growing rage.
33 mins: Forest are wobbling big time here. Sean Dyche barks a few hurried and worried instructions at his players. They need a period of calm.
It’s a strange one as the visitors were actually growing into the contest just before that Jayden Bogle opener.
James Justin saw his shot parried and intelligently squared it as the ball rebounded back to him, to Okafor in the centre and the Swiss international could hardly miss.
A double salvo from Leeds! If Elland Road had a roof, it’d be coming off right now.
GOAL! Leeds 2-0 Nottingham Forest (Okafor, 30)
That’s got the crowd bouncing and Leeds clearly sense their opportunity to use the momentum and grab a quickfire second. And they’ve got it! Ortega saves the initial shot but it was pulled back for Okafor to steer home to make it 2-0!
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29 mins: Dart player and huge Leeds fan Luke Humphries shows his approval from the directors’ box. Insert joke about hitting the bullseye.
Brilliant from Bogle with his left foot to slide it past Ortega. The goalkeeper was caught in no-man’s land, but take nothing away from the Gruev pass to pick out Bogle’s run. The wing-back then resembled a sniping striker with the way he tucked it home.
GOAL! Leeds 1-0 Nottingham Forest (Bogle, 26)
What a ball over the top, what a run and what a composed finish by the wing-back! Leeds lead.
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Ooh the former Everton striker is shaking his head. He’ll think he should have scored that. He was inches away, in fairness.
24 mins: Leeds corner. Okafor and Gudmunsson again link up nicely to get Abbott back-peddling at right-back.
Can the hosts finally make one of these count? So nearly! Calvert-Lewin’s header, again from the second phase cross, cannons down off the crossbar!
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22 mins: If Forest’s forward players could stay onside they’d have a good chance of troubling Darlow even further in the Leeds goal.
20 mins: Ampadu v Gibbs-White is another tantalising individual battle. The Leeds captain is staying unerringly close to his opposite number whenever Forest are on the ball.
“Zach Abbott, he’s one of our own,” sing the Forest fans as the youngster’s long throw nearly brings about a goal, as Anderson’s cross – after the throw was initially cleared – is headed wide by Jesus.
18 mins: Forest are really starting to snap into their challenges in midfield, with Elliot Anderson particularly combative so far. The away side are growing into this, for sure.
Sangaré tries a ball over the top for Igor Jesus but the Brazilian is offside.
16 mins: We’ve just had our first proper glimpse of Calvert-Lewin versus Milenkovic. That’s shaping up to be a key battle in this game, the outcome of which could decide where the points go.
14 mins: The opening to this game has been like a basketball match. Leeds are looking to be ultra-positive, which is leaving gaps for Forest to exploit.
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13 mins: Domínguez was just trying to guide that one into the far corner with his left-foot, from the inside-right position. Darlow said no.
A couple of corners for Forest now as their incisive play on the break begins to pay dividends.
12 mins: That’s a more difficult save for Darlow as he superbly denies Domínguez! Forest are getting some room to play their stuff on the counter-attack, with Gibbs-White again at the heart of that sequence.
10 mins: In fairness to Forest they’ve defended these corners very well so far.
Gibbs-White now gets some space on the break and feeds Hudson-Odoi, who cuts inside and tests Darlow with the visitors’ first shot of the game. It’s a fairly easy save.
9 mins: Sangaré attempts to get stuck in but succeeds only in conceding a free-kick. Leeds are looking to fizz it out wide to their wing-backs at every opportunity. Okafor is the latest to send in a cross form the left and Aina is forced to scoop it clear – for yet another corner kick.
7 mins: Someone in Forest red needs to get their foot on the ball. This is relentless at the moment. They’ve had 4% possession, apparently.
5 mins: Leeds are well on top at the moment. Another Gudmundsson cross causes chaos as Abbott sticks out a leg and is fortunate not to score an own goal on Premier League debut. Another corner.
3 mins: Noah Okafor and Gabriel Gudmundsson have both looked to run at Abbott in the early stages. Leeds are finding some joy down the left already, with Gudmundsson ghosting past Domínguez and pulling it back for Aaronson, whose flicked effort is blocked for a corner.
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2 mins: Forest’s young defender Zach Abbott has lined up at right-back, with Ola Aina on the left and Morato playing centrally. It’s a massively reshuffled defence from Sean Dyche, if you also consider there’s a new goalkeeper on the pitch.
KICK OFF
The referee Peter Bankes gets us started.
Why are Leeds’ fans booing the Premier League anthem? Why do any clubs’ supporters boo it?
We may never know. Just an instinctive thing?
I’m reliably informed by Sky Sports that this is just the 14th Premier League clash between Leeds and Forest and the seventh at Elland Road. Between 2004 and 2020 they were regularly in the same division, bar the odd season, and that was the Championship.
The players are coming out of the tunnel now and the ground is humming. Let’s do this thing.
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A prediction from Allan Castle: “2-1 home win. That’s the modal Premier League outcome, and looks nailed on here. Thank me later.”
I’m not sure Peter Oh has high hopes for this evening’s footballing fare judging from this email.
He says: “Given the various endearing nicknames that have garlanded these two clubs, could tonight be the Nasty/Dirty/Tricky derby?”
It could be a gnarly one, Peter, I’ll give you that.
20 minutes until kick-off. Where’s your money? Email me your predictions!
Draw for me Clive.
It could well be a tale of two goalkeepers tonight. Dyche has never seemed a great fan of Matz Sels so he’s drafted in Stefan Ortega instead (although Sels is injured for tonight anyway). The former Manchester City man is a very serviceable Premier League keeper with bags of experience.
Leeds too have gone back to experience, in Karl Darlow – a former Forest player of course– with Lucas Perri enduring his own difficulties. The Wales international international is a steady hand on the tiller.
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Sean Dyche will know the size of Forest’s task at Elland Road tonight. As a Brian Clough disciple – we’ve all heard his impression – he may well have extra motivation against the club the Forest and Derby legend despised and then managed briefly, and disastrously.
On the current Leeds iteration and tonight’s mission, Dyche said: “It’s another important game. It’s tough going up there, I have been many times, they have steadied the ship because early season there was a lot of noise about the manager [Farke] and ‘Can they or can’t they?’, but they have steadied it down with a lot of good performances.”
A couple of pre-match reads for you with another big Premier League weekend almost upon us.
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Here’s what Farke said on the survival equation for his team now:
We need one point average [from 38 games] to stay in this league, so we need 12 points to have this average. This means three wins and three draws, whatever – six positive results from the last 14 games. The last 12 games we’ve played, we had 10 positive results. I would back my players to get six positive results. I want all 14 to be positive, but I’m confident we are capable to win enough to stay in this league.
Both teams have some serious speed on the bench. Daniel James is a welcome returnee for Leeds having been out for a good while with a hamstring injury. Joël Piroe and Wilfried Gnonto also have pace to burn and could give the hosts that extra bit of thrust late in the game. The absence of loan signing Facundo Buonanotte is… a bit strange.
Forest have Dan Ndoye and Omari Hutchinson to introduce onto the wings at some stage, as well as the powerful striker Taiwo Awoniyi who scored on his last outing off the bench at Brentford.
That’s a lot of defenders Leeds have picked tonight. Ampadu is very much a deep-lying midfielder, so it’s six defensive players on the teamsheet from Daniel Farke, with either Gabriel Gudmundsson or James Justin slotting into a back three and the other one joining Jayden Bogle as a wing-back.
No Netz in the Forest starting lineup, as 19-year-old centre-back Zach Abbott gets a first Premier League start instead. He’s made a handful of appearances in the Europa League this season. There were some claims that Callum Hudson-Odoi would be out for this one with a shoulder injury, but he’s been passed fit to start. Ortega makes his debut in goal.
Team news
Leeds: Darlow; Justin, Rodon, Strujik; Bogle, Gruev, Ampadu, Aaronson, Gudmundsson; Okafor, Calvert-Lewin.
Subs: Perri, James, Longstaff, Piroe, Nmecha, Bijol, Tanaka, Bornauw, Gnonto.
Nottingham Forest: Ortega; Aina, Milenkovic, Abbott, Morato; Sangaré, Anderson, Gibbs-White; Hudson-Odoi, I.Jesus, Domínguez.
Subs: Gunn, Awoniyi, Ndoye, Lucca, Hutchinson, Yates, Cunha, McAtee, Netz.
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Preamble
Leeds United and Nottingham Forest may balk at the suggestion that this is an earlyish relegation six-pointer – both may feel they are clear enough of danger as it stands – but the prospect of heading into the weekend nine points clear of the drop zone, with the pressure firmly on West Ham, is surely enticing. (The Hammers play 19th-placed Burnley tomorrow). These two are currently locked on 26 points after 24 games, with Leeds sitting above Forest only on goals scored. And given Daniel Farke’s side have shown a real taste for these Friday night fixtures at home and the fact Forest have gone unbeaten in the league for a whole month, there really ought to be little separating the sides. Competitive should be the word.
Forest could field their two key January signings – Stefan Ortega is likely to start in goal and Luca Netz looks a like-for-like replacement for the suspended Neco Williams at left-back. Leeds will be without the injured Anton Stach, though it remains to be seen whether Farke will prefer a back three, or go to 4-3-3 (or something similar) tonight. That 4-0 home shellacking by Arsenal last week will still be stinging for a few Leeds fans.
It all gets under way at 8pm GMT, with the official team news to follow very shortly. Strap yourself in for a tussle between two of English football’s heavyweights under the Elland Road lights.
