ELLAND ROAD, LEEDS — Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s 10th Premier League goal of the season helped Leeds United to a 3-1 win in their relegation six-pointer against a bedraggled Nottingham Forest.
The two sides headed into Friday night’s showdown level on 26 points in 16th and 17th position, six points above the rop zone. They also had an identical minus-11 goal difference, with Leeds one place higher by virtue of goals scored.
And it was Daniel Farke’s men who found the breakthrough in the 26th minute, moments after Calvert-Lewin crashed a header against the Forest crossbar. Jayden Bogle continued his run from right wing-back, was played onside by Nikola Milenkovic and coolly guided Ilia Gruev’s lofted pass beyond debutant Stefan Ortega in the visitors’ goal.
Ortega, a deadline day signing from Manchester City, then sharply denied James Justin, but the Leeds defender put the rebound across goal to leave former AC Milan attacker Okafor with a simple finish.
Karl Darlow in the Leeds goal made sharp saves from Nicolas Dominguez and Morgan Gibbs-White either side of that quickfire double, but the hosts were good value for a lead that Calvert-Lewin extended within four minutes of the restart. The former Everton striker produced an improvised finish with his chest after Forest gave Gruev space and time to clip a teasing ball towards the six-yard box.
Leeds threatened further damage as they revelled in a memorable Elland Road occasion, before substitute Lorenzo Lucca marked his Forest debut with a headed consolation.
Leeds vs. Nottingham Forest final score
| Score | Goalscorers | |
| Leeds | 3 | Bogle 26′, Okafor 30′, Calvert-Lewin 48′ |
| Forest | 1 | Luca 85′ |
Venue: Elland Road, Leeds (UK)
Referee: Peter Bankes
Leeds vs Nottingham Forest stats
| Leeds | Stat | Forest |
| 14 | Shots | 16 |
| 5 | Shots on target | 6 |
| 2.5 | Expected goals | 1.13 |
| 57% | Possession | 43% |
| 458 | Passes | 334 |
| 5 | Corners | 10 |
| 9 | Fouls | 11 |
| 1 | Yellow cards | 1 |
| 1 | Offsides | 4 |
Leeds vs. Nottingham Forest talking points, analysis
Farke’s deep runners leave Forest ragged
Daniel Farke’s decision to switch to a 3-5-2 at halftime during the late November defeat at Manchester City continues to look season-defining. Leeds lost 3-2, having been 2-0 down at the break, to Phil Foden’s injury-time strike but the new system remained and the results – outside of last weekend’s dispiriting 4-0 loss at home to Arsenal, have spoken for themselves.
That Arsenal reverse was only Leeds’ second in 12 matches across all competitions since their disappointment at the Etihad Stadium. Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored his second goal of the season in that game; on Friday he roared into double figures. There was a growing swell of opinion among fans that the technical and physical profiles of players in this athletic Leeds squad would be better suited to a system with wing-backs, something that is now beyond question.
The system gets the best out of so many players. Calvert-Lewin is able to lead the line and come deep, with various angles of attack possible off his astute forward play. There are multiple pockets for the similarly revitalised United States international Brenden Aaronson to roam with menace.
But the stars of Leeds’ attack tonight were their defenders. Left wing-back Gabriel Gudmundsson set the tone with a couple of early forays down the flank, the second of which almost forced the opening goal. The opener arrived because Jayden Bogle carried his run on and on from right wing-back, all the way to be clean through on goal. His concerned look towards the linesman suggests he shouldn’t take up poker, but it was a wonderfully executed attack.
Bogle was also lurking around the six-yard box when Calvert-Lewin made it 3-0, while right-centre-back Justin James storming into the Forest box caused Noah Okafor’s crucial second. Every goal exemplified a Leeds team with far more attacking variety and ambition than the team they were facing.
Dyche hangs Abbott out to dry before waving white flag
Sean Dyche’s reputation as a reliable, no-nonsense football man rests largely on his capacity to navigate nights like this. A huge game against relegation rivals with a hostile crowd against you. This is where Dyche cuts through the chaff and gets the job done.
But this wasn’t so much no-nonsense as inexplicable nonsense from the Forest manager, who did not have one of his best nights. Zach Abbott is a 19-year-old defender who has looked the part in his Europa League outings, but playing his out of position at right-back for a full Premier League debut at a febrile Elland Road felt distinctly un-Dychian.
Leeds attacked down Abbott’s side early on and he almost put Gudmundsson’s cross through his own goal. To accommodate his struggles, Ola Aina was shipped over to left-back, while Luca Netz — a natural left-back signed from Borussia Monchengladbach on deadline day – was plonked on the bench to watch it all unfold. The absence of key centre-back Murillo should not have prompted such a dire chain reaction as the dishevelled backline playing Bogle onside for the opener.
With a quarter of the game still to play, Dyche hooked his star creative players Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi. It was a jaw-dropping moment of surrender, even with the scoreline at 3-0. After Lorenzo Lucca reduced the deficit in the 85th minute, Leeds looked nervy. They did again when nine minutes of added time were signalled. It was hard not to wonder what might have happened had Gibbs-White and Hudson-Odoi still been on the field.
Who will get relegated from the Premier League?
Leeds’ win now puts the onus on West Ham to win their own huge clash down at the bottom of the table this weekend. The Hammers, who claimed back-to-back wins over Tottenham and Sunderland before suffering a heartbreaking loss from 2-0 ahead against Chelsea last weekend, travel to second-bottom Burnley. The Clarets are five points shy of their Saturday opponents and 11 from safety. Scott Parker’s side must surely win to have any chance of pulling their season out of the fire.
A West Ham victory would move them to within three points of Forest, for whom the post-mortem of an awful night in West Yorkshire should be brutal. Dyche’s men do at least have virtually condemned bottom club Wolves to come in midweek. Victory there feels non-negotiable. Forest’s six Premier League games after that — they also have a Europa League playoff against Fenerbahce to contend with — are Liverpool, Brighton, Manchester City, Fulham, Tottenham and Aston Villa.
Leeds have left Forest looking anxiously over their shoulders and now have the chance to pull away to safety. Farke thinks three more wins will do it. In this form and with this crowd behind them, that should be well within reach.
Leeds vs. Nottingham Forest reaction
Leeds’ star turn on the night was playmaker Ilia Gruev, as he produced sumptuous assists for Bogle and Calvert-Lewin. After the match, Daniel Farke lavished praise on the Bulgarian, even if he did chuckle towards the end of an outlandish comparison to two greats of the 1990s.
“In training this week, Ilia looked unbelievably sharp,” Farke said. “He’s so reliable. With him, you always get a 7/10 and today it was pretty close to 10/10. In the left half-spaces, the weaknesses we have perhaps seen on how to open up Nottingham, Ilia with his left foot was a good choice.
“We encouraged him to play more forward-thinking passes from this position. Today he was a mix out of… with his Bulgairan roots, Hristo Stoichkov and then Lothar Matthaus, with my German roots. Defensive-wise, he was everywhere in each and every duel. He played the key passes offensive-wise with a genius left foot. Two assists, many, many key passes. I think he was outstanding today.
A scrumptious ball from Ilia Gruev to set up Jayden Bogle for Leeds United’s opener. pic.twitter.com/u7FYBhJKP4
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) February 6, 2026
Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche rued the late loss of Murillo to a calf injury, which meant his makeshift defence did not have a chance to train together before the match.
“We conceded such a first goal, a straight ball over the top when we’re trying to play offside,” he said of Bogle’s opener. “Distances are wrong, covering positions are wrong and 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. We didn’t have any chance to work with the defensive unit. But they’re still wise enough to know the basics and we didn’t do that.
“We obviously went through all the options but Luca Netz has been here a day, one day with us working. It’s a lot to ask of someone who’s just got here, doesn’t know anyone, doesn’t know the way we play, doesn’t know anything about it. That was my decision. He did fine when he came on.
“Zach’s a good pro. He’s been working hard. He played in the Europa League and did well. So that was my decision.”
Leeds vs. Nottingham Forest lineups, team news
Noah Okafor replaced the injured Anton Stach in Leeds’ only change.
Justin James started in defence after passing a late fitness test on a toe injury.
Hamstring injury victims Dan James and Jaka Bijol were back among the substitutes alongside Lukas Nmecha.
Leeds starting XI (3-4-2-1 right to left): Darlow (GK) — Justin, Rodon, Struijk — Bogle, Gruev, Ampadu, Gudmundsson — Aaronson, Okafor — Calvert-Lewin
Leeds subs: Perri (GK), James, Longstaff, Piroe, Nmecha, Bijol, Tanaka, Bornauw, Gnonto
Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega came straight into the Forest line-up following his move from Manchester City, with Mats Sels out injured.
Highly rated teenager Zach Abbott made a first Premier League start in front of Ortega at right-back.
Forest starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Ortega (GK) — Abbott, Milenkovic, Morato, Aina — Sangare, Anderson —Dominguez, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi — Igor Jesus
Forest subs: Gunn (GK), Awoniyi, Ndoye, Lucca, Hutchinson, Yates, Cunha, McAtee, Netz
Next games for Leeds vs. Nottingham Forest
Leeds travel to London on Tuesday night to face Chelsea, a team they beat 3-1 in December to launch their mid-season resurgence.
Forest have a chance to get vital points on the board when they host bottom-of-the-table Wolves.