Leeds United’s work on the training ground was brought to life in front of a roaring Elland Road as Daniel Farke’s side claimed a hugely important 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest.
The win opened up a nine-point gap between Leeds and the relegation zone and was built on a dominant first-half display that effectively decided the contest. Two early goals allowed Leeds to dictate the game on their terms, before Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s second-half strike put the result beyond serious doubt.
While Forest pulled one back late on, they were never able to turn the evening into the nervy finale the visitors would have hoped for.
Gruev’s Night To Remember In Midfield
Pre-match discussion centred around Farke’s decision to deploy two defensive-minded central midfielders in Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev, but it was the Bulgarian who stole the spotlight.
Gruev delivered an all-action performance, registering two assists and setting the tempo both in and out of possession. His first moment of quality came when he clipped a perfectly weighted ball over the Forest defence for Jayden Bogle, who raced through to beat Stefan Ortega with a composed finish.
Just minutes later, James Justin found Noah Okafor inside the box to double Leeds’ advantage, rewarding the hosts’ relentless early pressure.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Farke explained the thinking behind his midfield selection and Gruev’s role in particular.
“*First of all we brought Noah Okafor in, a more offensive thinking player than Anton Stach,” Farke said. “Ilia looked unbelievably sharp in training. You always get a seven out of ten from him, but today it was pretty close to a ten out of ten.*”
A Goal Straight From The Training Ground
The opener, in particular, was no accident. Farke revealed Leeds had worked on that exact scenario during the week at Thorp Arch, identifying Forest’s vulnerability to runs in behind from wide areas.
“*We encouraged him to play more forward-thinking passes from the left half-space,” Farke explained. “We’ve worked on exactly this scene in training and shown clips. If you score a goal from this, all credit goes to the players for bringing it to life under pressure.*”
Gruev’s second assist came shortly after the restart, when his delivery was chested home acrobatically by Calvert-Lewin to make it 3-0. From there, Leeds looked comfortable until Forest scored late on, creating a brief moment of tension.
Responding The Right Way After Arsenal Loss
The performance was made even more significant given Leeds’ heavy defeat to Arsenal the previous weekend. Farke admitted that result had lingered in the background during the build-up, adding extra pressure to a fixture that already felt pivotal.
“*Very proud today,” he said. “This was a complicated game for us. A loss always does something to confidence and belief, even against Arsenal. There was a bit more on the line tonight.*”
Despite fatigue setting in and several players carrying knocks late on, Leeds showed resilience to see the game out.
“*Sometimes not celebrating an easy 4-0 or 5-0 win but showing steel to bring it over the line is even more perfect,” Farke added. “It will do a lot for our confidence and belief. It’s a massive performance and a massive win.*”
With a bit of breathing space now established between the teams below, Leeds head into the next phase of the season with renewed belief — and proof that preparation is starting to pay off.