Leeds United vs Nottm Forest | Elland Road Roars as Leeds Boost Survival Hopes

Leeds United vs Nottm Forest: Leeds Boost Survival Bid With Win Over Relegation Rivals

Leeds United vs Nottm Forest turned into a crucial Premier League clash as Leeds bolstered their survival bid with a vital 3-1 win against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest on Friday at Elland Road.

Daniel Farke’s side struck twice in four minutes during the first half. Jayden Bogle broke the deadlock before Noah Okafor added a second soon after, putting Leeds firmly in control.

The hosts carried that momentum into the second half and extended their lead in the 49th minute. Dominic Calvert-Lewin used a clever chested finish to guide Ilia Gruev’s cross past Stefan Ortega from close range, scoring his 10th league goal of the season.

Forest pulled one back late on as Lorenzo Lucca headed home from Omari Hutchinson’s cross on his debut, but it proved to be no consolation for a woeful display.

The victory moved Leeds nine points clear of the relegation zone. Fourth-bottom Forest remain six points above third-bottom West Ham, who can reduce the gap with a win against second-bottom Burnley on Saturday.

Farke said earlier in the week that 12 points from the remaining 14 games should be enough to avoid an immediate return to the Championship. This first win in three league matches represented a major step toward that target.

“We showed a great mentality, a great spirit. It was the other side of us, the fighting edge. A perfect win,” Farke said.

“Elland Road is a fortress. If we deliver performances like this we have a good chance to stay up.”

Forest’s first defeat in five league games reflected their defensive reshuffle. Stefan Ortega, standing in for injured keeper Matz Sels, made his first Premier League appearance since April 2025, while teenage right-back Zach Abbott made his first top-flight start with Murillo and Neco Williams unavailable.

“We’ve had late changes which is not perfect. You’ve got to do the basics and we didn’t do them,” Forest boss Sean Dyche said.

“The goals are awful from our standards. You can’t give away chances like that at this level.”

Leeds had threatened early when Calvert-Lewin powered a close-range header against the bar, the ball bouncing down inches from the line.

That miss did not matter for long. In the 26th minute, Bogle timed his run onto Ilia Gruev’s pin-point pass over the Forest defence and kept his composure to beat Ortega with a low finish at the near post.

Just four minutes later, Leeds struck again. James Justin wriggled free inside the area and after his shot was saved, he squared the rebound for Okafor to slot home from 10 yards.

Lucca’s late glancing header showed the cutting edge Forest lacked for much of the contest as Leeds completed a crucial win in the battle for survival.

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