Key talking points from Leeds United’s massive 3-1 win over Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest.
Leeds United enjoyed another magnificent night under the Elland Road lights after beating Nottingham Forest 3-1 on Friday. Goals from Jayden Bogle, Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin handed the Whites a much-deserved three points to kickstart the weekend in perfect fashion.
Chances came and went for both sides in the opening minutes but Bogle was the first to take one, the wing-back’s bursting run from deep found by Ilia Gruev to open the scoring on 26 minutes. Okafor made it two not long after with Calvert-Lewin scoring a third just after half-time.
Forest pulled one back through Lorenzo Lucca late on but were unable to turn that consolation into any serious momentum. Below are the YEP’s key talking points from the victory.
Daniel Farke’s bold calls pay off
A few eyebrows will have been raised in and around Elland Road when the teams came out at 6.45pm, not least because of Facundo Buonanotte’s absence which the YEP understands was a selection decision. Of those involved, Gruev and Okafor’s presence in the starting-XI was questioned but both answered emphatically.
It’s hard to remember either having a better game in Leeds colours. Okafor’s smart finish capped off an exciting and tireless performance but it was Gruev who took the headlines, registering two assists and doing just about everything you could want from a central midfielder.
“He’s outstanding,” Farke told Sky Sports of the Bulgarian. “Solid and reliable. Always a 7/10 performance but he was pretty close to 10/10 today. He embodies more or less everything that Leeds United is all about. We are perhaps not perfect but we show great quality, great desire and to prove from week-to-week. He was outstanding today.”
Farke risked sending the wrong message by starting Gruev and Ethan Ampadu at home to a team below them in the Premier League table but got his attacking intent from the two-assist man. Credit to both for making the decision pay off.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s milestone
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has hit double figures for Premier League goals for the first time since 2020/21.placeholder image
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has hit double figures for Premier League goals for the first time since 2020/21. | AFP via Getty Images
It remains to be seen if star-man Gruev actually meant his second assist but Calvert-Lewin made it so. A shot-cross combination from the Bulgarian was neither header nor volley height, so the Leeds striker produced a brilliantly improvised chest finish to put his side out of sight on 49 minutes.
Calvert-Lewin’s hot-streak had cooled a little, with seven goals in six games turning into one in as many, but that finish showed a striker still full of confidence. It was also his 10th of the season, the 28-year-old reaching double figures in the Premier League for the first time since 2020/21 under Carlo Ancelotti when he bagged 16.
“It’s big,” he told Sky Sports of the milestone. “I’ve not done it for a while so it’s something I’ve been striving for since the last time I did it. It’s just another one to add to the tally but I’m hungry for more. I’m judged on goals like every centre-forward but I try to lead by example and bring as much to the team as possible.”
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Leeds United goalkeeper concerns eased
When Karl Darlow fumbled an Arsenal corner into his own net last weekend, concerns surrounding the goalkeeper position became serious. Lucas Perri had struggled enough to be dropped by Farke and now the man brought in to steady the ship had made a worse individual error than his predecessor.
Speaking ahead of Forest, Darlow preached the importance of moving on from Arsenal and on an individual level, Friday’s performance will have helped him do exactly that. The Welshman made a string of brilliant saves, many of them with the game in the balance, and played his part in the victory.
Leeds really needed a steady performance from their goalkeeper on Friday, even if just to stop it becoming a major run-in debate for the second season running. Darlow is by no means the perfect, long-term option but if he can replicate the performance against Forest, he’ll keep his place.
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