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Leeds United 2-1 Nottingham Forest: Whites secure crucial comeback win over relegation rivals

Luis Sinisterra scores for Leeds against Nottingham Forest
Luis Sinisterra scored his third league goal of the season to help Leeds beat Forest

Leeds secured a huge victory in their quest to remain in the Premier League as goals from Jack Harrison and Luis Sinisterra saw them come from behind to beat 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 gave the visitors the lead with just their fifth away goal of the season – a neat low finish from the edge of the box after a ruthless counter.

But Leeds responded in style, with Harrison following up to fire in after Keylor Navas could only limply palm Marc Roca’s shot from range.

After near-relentless Leeds pressure, Luis Sinisterra seized his moment in first-half injury time, cutting inside from the left and onto his right foot for a superb curled finish into the bottom corner.

It took Javi Gracia’s side to 29 points and up to 13th – far from out the woods yet, but with renewed confidence and a strengthened platform on which to build.

Defeat for Forest plunged them further into trouble and ramped up the pressure on boss Steve Cooper. They are now winless in eight games and above the relegation zone only on goal difference.

With another relegation-threatened side in Crystal Palace visiting Elland Road on Sunday, this was always going to be a defining week for Leeds’ season.

Their fixture list is heavily loaded with less appetising opponents in May – on paper at least – and so it was felt they must make hay in this month’s five games.

This was a fine start and continued the impressive work done by Gracia since he succeeded Jesse Marsch as manager in February. He has now taken 10 points from his six games in charge.

The Spaniard is something of a chameleon in his managerial approach, adapting his tactics to the surroundings.

Having set up Leeds to contain and counter-attack without a recognised striker at Arsenal on Saturday, he 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 stubborn hold-up play. He could have scored a couple himself, pulling one glaring chance wide after a defensive mix-up.

But it was Harrison and Sinisterra either side of him who were the real stars. The close control and dribbling skills of both gave Forest all manner of trouble. They too could have added more goals to make it far more comfortable in the closing stretch for the hosts.

Behind them, Roca was superb in midfield with both his disruption of Forest and his distribution to get the home side on the front foot.

The victory, regardless of the scoreline, was fully deserved.

Forest came 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.

That Forest win over Leeds at the City Ground left them 13th, six points above the bottom three on 24 points. Yet they have earned only three points since.

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.

But having taken the lead, they retreated into their shell and it cost them.

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.

Line-ups

Leeds

Formation 4-2-3-1

  • 1Meslier
  • 2Ayling
  • 5Koch
  • 21Struijk
  • 3Firpo
  • 28McKennie
  • 8Roca
  • 11Harrison
  • 7AaronsonSubstituted forSummervilleat 74′minutesBooked at 90mins
  • 23SinisterraSubstituted forRodrigoat 74′minutes
  • 9BamfordSubstituted forKristensenat 90+2′minutes

Substitutes

  • 6Cooper
  • 10Summerville
  • 18Gyabi
  • 19Rodrigo
  • 22Robles
  • 24Rutter
  • 25Kristensen
  • 29Gnonto
  • 42Greenwood

Nottm Forest

Formation 4-3-2-1

  • 12Navas
  • 7N WilliamsBooked at 8mins
  • 38FelipeBooked at 84mins
  • 19Niakhaté
  • 15Toffolo
  • 5MangalaSubstituted forShelveyat 56′minutes
  • 23FreulerSubstituted forKouyatéat 64′minutesBooked at 89mins
  • 28dos Santos de OliveiraSubstituted forAwoniyiat 56′minutes
  • 20JohnsonBooked at 65mins
  • 25DennisSubstituted forA Ayewat 71′minutes
  • 10Gibbs-WhiteSubstituted forFurtado Scarpaat 72′minutes

Substitutes

  • 4Worrall
  • 6Shelvey
  • 9Awoniyi
  • 13Hennessey
  • 16Surridge
  • 21Kouyaté
  • 31Furtado Scarpa
  • 32Lodi
  • 34A Ayew

Referee:
Robert Jones

Attendance:
36,740

Match Stats

Live Text

  1. Match ends, Leeds United 2, Nottingham Forest 1.

  2. Second Half ends, Leeds United 2, Nottingham Forest 1.

  3. Offside, Leeds United. Rodrigo tries a through ball, but Crysencio Summerville is caught offside.

  4. Foul by Jack Harrison (Leeds United).

  5. Felipe (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  6. Attempt blocked. Jonjo Shelvey (Nottingham Forest) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

  7. Attempt missed. Felipe (Nottingham Forest) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Jonjo Shelvey with a cross following a set piece situation.

  8. Substitution, Leeds United. Rasmus Kristensen replaces Patrick Bamford.

  9. Crysencio Summerville (Leeds United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  10. Foul by Crysencio Summerville (Leeds United).

  11. Gustavo Scarpa (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick on the left wing.

  12. Attempt blocked. André Ayew (Nottingham Forest) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Cheikhou Kouyaté.

  13. Offside, Leeds United. Rodrigo tries a through ball, but Crysencio Summerville is caught offside.

  14. Cheikhou Kouyaté (Nottingham Forest) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  15. Patrick Bamford (Leeds United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  16. Foul by Cheikhou Kouyaté (Nottingham Forest).

  17. Attempt blocked. Gustavo Scarpa (Nottingham Forest) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

  18. Corner, Nottingham Forest. Conceded by Crysencio Summerville.

  19. Attempt missed. Harry Toffolo (Nottingham Forest) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.

  20. Attempt blocked. Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.

Player of the match

HarrisonJack Harrison

with an average of 8.37

Leeds United

  1. Squad number11Player nameHarrison

    Average rating

    8.37

  2. Squad number23Player nameSinisterra

    Average rating

    8.03

  3. Squad number8Player nameRoca

    Average rating

    7.72

  4. Squad number21Player nameStruijk

    Average rating

    7.54

  5. Squad number3Player nameFirpo

    Average rating

    7.48

  6. Squad number28Player nameMcKennie

    Average rating

    7.48

  7. Squad number19Player nameRodrigo

    Average rating

    7.47

  8. Squad number10Player nameSummerville

    Average rating

    7.37

  9. Squad number5Player nameKoch

    Average rating

    7.34

  10. Squad number7Player nameAaronson

    Average rating

    7.08

  11. Squad number25Player nameKristensen

    Average rating

    7.03

  12. Squad number1Player nameMeslier

    Average rating

    7.02

  13. Squad number9Player nameBamford

    Average rating

    6.71

  14. Squad number2Player nameAyling

    Average rating

    6.60

Nottingham Forest

  1. Squad number5Player nameMangala

    Average rating

    4.50

  2. Squad number20Player nameJohnson

    Average rating

    4.35

  3. Squad number12Player nameNavas

    Average rating

    4.28

  4. Squad number15Player nameToffolo

    Average rating

    4.22

  5. Squad number38Player nameFelipe

    Average rating

    4.21

  6. Squad number25Player nameDennis

    Average rating

    4.15

  7. Squad number28Player nameDanilo

    Average rating

    4.10

  8. Squad number19Player nameNiakhaté

    Average rating

    4.09

  9. Squad number7Player nameN Williams

    Average rating

    4.08

  10. Squad number23Player nameFreuler

    Average rating

    3.98

  11. Squad number10Player nameGibbs-White

    Average rating

    3.98

  12. Squad number6Player nameShelvey

    Average rating

    3.79

  13. Squad number9Player nameAwoniyi

    Average rating

    3.40

  14. Squad number31Player nameGustavo Scarpa

    Average rating

    3.06

  15. Squad number21Player nameKouyaté

    Average rating

    2.99

  16. Squad number34Player nameA Ayew

    Average rating

    2.91

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