Leeds United FC bolstered their bid for Premier League survival with a vital 3-1 win against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest FC on Friday.
Daniel Farke’s side struck twice in the four minutes in the first half through Jayden Bogle and Noah Okafor.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin bagged Leeds’ third after the interval at Elland Road. Lorenzo Lucca’s late debut goal was no consolation for woeful Forest.
Photo: REUTERS
Leeds moved nine points clear of the relegation zone.
Fourth-bottom Forest sit six points above third-bottom West Ham United FC, who would close the gap if they were to win a crucial clash at second-bottom Burnley last night after press time.
Farke earlier this week said that 12 points from the remaining 14 games should guarantee Leeds avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
Their first win in three league matches was a huge step towards that target.
Forest’s first defeat in five league games was a symptom of their enforced reshuffle at the back
Stefan Ortega, deputizing for injured goalkeeper Matz Sels, was playing in the Premier League for the first time since April last year, while teenage right-back Zach Abbott made his first top-flight start with Murillo and Neco Williams unavailable.
Nicolas Dominguez went close for Forest twice in quick succession, his first effort well blocked before a curler from the rebound forced a fine save from Karl Darlow.
Igor Jesus should have put Forest ahead when he nodded straight at Darlow.
Those escapes triggered a blistering response from the hosts, who swiftly exposed Forest’s soft center.
Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin thumped a close-range header against the bar, with the ball bouncing down inches from crossing the line.
Farke’s side did not have to rue that miss for long as they took the lead in the 26th minute.
Bogle made a well-timed burst onto Ilia Gruev’s pin-point pass over the Forest defense and the defender kept his cool to beat Ortega with a low finish at the near post.
Roared on by their fans, Leeds struck again just four minutes later.
James Justin wriggled free inside the Forest area and when his shot was saved by Ortega, he had the presence of mind to square the rebound to Okafor, who slotted home from 9m.
Calvert-Lewin put the result beyond doubt in the 49th minute, using a clever chested finish to guide Gruev’s cross past Ortega from close-range for his 10th league goal this term.
Lucca’s glancing header from Omari Hutchinson’s cross showed the cutting edge that Forest lacked for the previous 85 minutes.
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