Leeds United manager Daniel Farke, Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche in a circular insert.
Leeds United went past Nottingham Forest in the Premier League table with an emphatic 3-1 win, moving nine points above the bottom three as the relegation battle heats up.
Following a crushing 3-1 defeat to Leeds United at Elland Road, Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche delivered a candid assessment of Leeds United, conceding his side were thoroughly outplayed.
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His post-match comments were a direct acknowledgement of the home side’s dominant performance.
Sean Dyche reflects on crushing defeat to Leeds
Dyche offered no excuses for the result, pointing to a lacklustre display from his team after the game on Sky Sports. “The performance wasn’t there,” he admitted. He then outlined exactly what his Forest side failed to match. “When you come here, you know they are going to put a lot of energy into it and a lot of pressure on, they play good football as well, so you have got to match that, and we didn’t do that.”
He elaborated on the challenge Leeds United posed, highlighting their intense physical and tactical approach. “I call it legs, heart and minds – all three have got to be in tact because Leeds run, they work, and their stats are high. They can play as well, by the way, but we have dealt with other teams better than them.”
His analysis of the goals conceded further showed his frustration with his team’s display rather than detracting from Leeds’ merits.“The first goal is a straight ball, the second one, you are scratching your head, because that is a horrible goal as well. We have got to do better than that.” His final verdict was unequivocal: “But, I have no questions over the result; they deserved it.”
READ MORE:“Leeds fans…” – Morgan Gibbs-White’s Elland Road comments come back to haunt him – The Leeds Press
Data suggests Leeds were deserved winners against Forest
Aside from the late pressure the visitors applied, which saw them pull a goal back late on, it was a game that Leeds dominated, and the stats certainly reflect this.
Leeds had an expected goals of 2.5 compared to Forest’s 1.33
The Whites also created seven big chances whilst limiting the visitors to just two
Surprisingly, it was Dyche’s side that had the most shots during the game, with 16 compared to Leeds’ 14, but the vast majority of these efforts did not trouble Karl Darlow (Sofascore)
Despite it being arguably Leeds’ biggest win of the season, they do not have time to sit back and celebrate for long, with a trip to Stamford Bridge coming up on Tuesday.
READ MORE:“Awful, horrible” – Sean Dyche fuming after Leeds United humble Nottingham Forest – The Leeds Press