Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s instinctive second-half finish helped Leeds to a 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest, moving them nine points clear of the drop. Punters may favour Leeds on home-goals markets or back Calvert-Lewin as an anytime scorer given his 10-goal form and Elland Road’s strong night-game record.
Leeds 3-1 Nottingham Forest — Calvert-Lewin Caps Powerful Night at Elland Road
Leeds produced a statement performance to beat fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest 3-1 at Elland Road, with Jayden Bogle and Noah Okafor setting the tone before Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s smart chest finish early in the second half made the game safe. Lorenzo Lucca’s late debut header gave Forest a consolation, but Leeds leave the night nine points clear of the relegation zone.
Match summary
Jayden Bogle opened the scoring in the 26th minute after Ilia Gruev’s incisive pass put him in behind the Forest defence. Four minutes later Noah Okafor finished calmly from James Justin’s set-up to make it 2-0. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who had earlier crashed a header off the underside of the bar, completed the scoring four minutes after the restart by chesting Gruev’s effort over the line. Lorenzo Lucca nodded in on his Forest debut late on, but it was too little, too late.
Key performances
Dominic Calvert-Lewin continued his red-hot form — his instinctive striker’s finish took him to 10 league goals this season, making him the division’s top-scoring Englishman. Daniel Farke highlighted Calvert-Lewin’s work-rate, link-up play and presence in both boxes as vital to Leeds’ revival. Noah Okafor and Jayden Bogle were influential in wide and forward areas, while Karl Darlow produced timely saves to preserve the lead.
Manager and selection notes
Leeds boss Daniel Farke praised the atmosphere at Elland Road and the players’ confidence under the lights, calling it a “massive win” as the club extend their impressive home-night form. Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche confirmed a late training injury to Murillo and explained the decision to hand 19-year-old Zach Abbott a Premier League debut at right-back; Dyche also said the first two Forest goals were avoidable.
Match stats
Possession: Leeds 56% - Nottingham Forest 44%
Shots: Leeds 14 - Forest 17
Shots on target: Leeds 5 - Forest 6
Corners: Leeds 5 - Forest 10
Touches in opposition box: Leeds 30 - Forest 24
Betting implications
Elland Road is increasingly a fortress for Leeds — all five of their night games at home this season have been wins. Punters might favour Leeds on home-goals markets (over 1.5 or over 2.5 depending on odds) and consider backing Dominic Calvert-Lewin as an anytime scorer in upcoming fixtures given his recent form. Forest’s defensive absences and late welcome for new signing Luca Netz suggest caution backing their clean-sheet chances away from home.
Line-ups
Leeds (starting XI): Karl Darlow; Jayden Bogle, Jonas Gudmundsson, Ben White/Rodon (as listed), Rasmus Kristensen/Struijk, James Justin, Ethan Ampadu, Ilia Gruev, Brenden Aaronson, Noah Okafor, Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Nottingham Forest (starting XI): Stefan Ortega; Morato, Zach Abbott, Milenkovic, Ola Aina; Ibrahim Sangaré, Elliot Anderson, Nicolas Domínguez, Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus.
Next fixtures
Leeds: Chelsea (away, Premier League), Birmingham (FA Cup), Aston Villa (away), Manchester City (home).
Nottingham Forest: Wolves (home), Fenerbahce (Europa League), Liverpool (home), Brighton (away).
What this means for the relegation scrap
Leeds’ win lifts them clear of immediate danger and gives momentum heading into tough fixtures. Forest remain precariously close to the drop zone and will hope for a positive result from upcoming matches to stop the gap narrowing further.
Agent makes Lucca prediction after Forest move, confirms Camarda was close to Milan return
They are known to like a bargain in Yorkshire. So little wonder Dominic Calvert-Lewin is already a cult hero at Elland Road.
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