Leeds United   3 (Bogle 26, Okafor 30, Calvert-Lewin 49)​

Nottingham F   1 (Lucca 86)

 

6th February  2026. English Premier League.

36,835.

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Well, that’s a huge relief! Not just the result, which most of us thought was vital, but the manner of the performance, outplaying and out-thinking a Forest side that needed those points just as much as we did.

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The match stats don’t do justice to our superiority in this game. Forest had more shots, more on target and won twice as many corners as Leeds, but apart from a little spell early in the first half and the final ten minutes, Leeds were totally dominant.

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That early spell saw a fine save from Karl Darlow, tipping a curling shot away at full stretch, and then an Igor Jesus close-range header that he, thankfully, nodded wide.

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But then Leeds took control, with a high and aggressive press led as always by the rapid little legs of Brenden Aaronson, but equally supported by the clever little interventions of Ilia Gruev and the masterful control of midfield by Ethan Ampadu. Leeds almost took the lead from a Calvert-Lewin header that thundered into the crossbar after James Justin’s initial corner was cleared, and then he put it back onto DCL’s head. Arguably, Noah Okafor should have had more composure when he blasted the rebound over the bar from six yards out. But shortly after, Leeds were ahead anyway, with a goal that I’m sure will have annoyed Sean Dyche, but which was superbly crafted by Gruev. He spotted the run through the middle of Jayden Bogle, and with the precision of a Rory McIlroy pitching wedge, he dropped it in front of Bogle, who stroked it home on the second bounce. Glorious!

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Leeds pressed home the advantage just a few minutes later with the all-important second goal, a lovely flowing move of umpteen passes as we prodded and poked looking for a way through, and then Okafor’s cross was headed away. Justin collected the ball on the right and exchanged a few passes with Bogle before shuffling the ball into Aaronson and then running around him for the return from a little deft touch by Brenden. It was poetry in motion! Justin’s shot was well saved by Ortega, but it went straight back to Justin, and he had the awareness to pick out Okafor with a pass along the six-yard box, and Noah stabbed it home. It was really good play all round from Leeds and we were making Forest look very ordinary.

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Leeds as good as killed the game shortly after the break with a third. It was more good pressing from Gruev that won the ball on halfway and then sent Bogle away down the right. He found Gruev again, and his pass found Okafor, whose shot was blocked, and eventually Forest half cleared the danger. That man Gruev, having his best game of the season, won it back again, though, and this time tried his luck with a little curling left-footer. I’m sure it was meant to be a shot, but instead it found DCL at the front post, and he improvised with a clever chest thrust to guide the ball inside the post and past Ortega. It was classic prime DCL, and Leeds were coasting.

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Over the years, Leeds have had a habit of allowing substitutes to score against them, and this time it was the bean-pole figure of Lorenzo Lucca, all six foot seven of him, that rose above Joe Rodon to power a header past Darlow in the 86th minute – maybe we should have matched that sub by bringing on our own giant, Seb Bornauw; he came on a few minutes later. I have to say that the consolation goal for Forest was annoying, and even with a two-goal lead and added time looming, there was more than a touch of panic in Leeds's defending in the final minutes. We got there, though, and it would have been a travesty had Forest somehow conjured up two more goals to steal a point.

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When the chips were down, we delivered, and even better news: I didn’t think Forest looked very good, although of course we didn’t allow them to be. Maybe there is still room to improve defensively - we'll need to be even tighter at Chelsea on Tuesday night. But for now it’s over to the Hammers to try to narrow that gap again as they go to Burnley tomorrow afternoon. Burnley will surely know it may be their last chance to stay in touch, so here’s hoping!