Leeds United beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 at Elland Road on Tuesday night, with Sean Dyche's side missing the chance to move nine points clear of the relegation zone
Sarah Clapson and James Smailes
10:00, 07 Feb 2026
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Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche gestures on the touchline during the Premier League match at Elland Road, Leeds. Picture date: Friday February 6, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Danny Lawson/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.
Manager Sean Dyche lamented the absence of several crucial players as Nottingham Forest fell to a 3-1 defeat against Leeds United at Elland Road, but also stopped to admit his side just didn't do the basics well.
The Reds missed the opportunity to establish a nine-point buffer above the drop zone, suffering a comprehensive loss at Elland Road. Instead, it was the hosts who secured that safety margin through strikes from Jayden Bogle, Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Debutant Lorenzo Lucca grabbed a consolation for the away side late in the match, but overall it proved a disappointing evening for Dyche's team. They were missing suspended full-back Neco Williams, whilst Matz Sels (groin) and centre-back Murillo (calf) were both unavailable through injury - the latter picking up the knock during Thursday's training session.
"We knew they would have a fast start, we'd made that clear to the players. We weathered that OK," Dyche said in his post-match press conference.
"We were having our best spell, but then it was a poor goal. That's very frustrating for me as a manager.
"We did get the injury news on Murillo after training, so by then you can't do any more, that's it. He's out of the game so we didn't have any time to work with the defensive unit, but they are still wise enough to know the basics - and we didn't do that.
"It's different away from home and at home the way they put the energy into the games," Dyche added (via the BBC). "The killer for us was giving away the goal.
"We responded somewhat and then they score a second. I said at half-time we've got to rethink. Then we conceded really quickly and the third goal is awful as well. There's no qualms about the result, they were better than us.
"We've had late changes which is not perfect. You've got to do the basics and we didn't do them. The goals are awful from our standards. You can't give away chances like that at this level.
"The mentality was good at the end, we were still pushing, but it would have been getting out of jail. Our performance wasn't there.
"We all know their form and what you've got to do. We've dealt with other teams better than we've dealt with them today. We were turning the game and it's just such a poor first goal. We concede a very straightforward goal, then the second and you're stretching your head. I've got no question mark over the result, they deserved it."
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Forest enjoyed a promising period during the opening half. However, their failure to capitalise on opportunities proved costly as their opponents made them pay.
"That's the truth of football. It's ifs and ands after the game," Dyche remarked. "We had two really good chances and didn't put them away, that can happen. I'm just so frustrated with the goal. The basic principles went out the window."