Calvert-Lewin caps commanding Leeds win as Forest left reeling

The job is far from finished, but on a rain-soaked evening in West Yorkshire, the reaction to every Leeds United goal left little doubt that this felt like a potentially season-defining night.

With Leeds United and Nottingham Forest both starting the contest six points clear of the relegation zone — a cushion that was comfortable but far from decisive — and with 18th-placed West Ham United due to visit Burnley on Saturday, the importance of victory was unmistakable. Both clubs knew that a win could significantly shape the final three months of the Premier League campaign.

For the opening 20 minutes, the contest was frenetic, end to end and breathless. However, a chaotic four-minute spell midway through the first half, which neatly summed up Forest’s season to date, proved decisive. The visitors collapsed defensively, conceding twice in quick succession, before Dominic Calvert-Lewin settled this quintessential relegation six-pointer shortly after the interval.

The full implications of the result will only become clear once the weekend’s fixtures are complete. Should West Ham falter at Turf Moor, this victory may be viewed as a major step towards securing Premier League survival for Leeds. Regardless, their home form offers considerable encouragement — 22 of their 29 points this season have been collected at Elland Road — and maintaining that standard should be enough to keep them clear of danger.

Elland Road, particularly under the floodlights, continues to be an imposing venue. Leeds have now won 19 of their last 22 evening league fixtures at home and remain unbeaten in those matches. Head coach Daniel Farke acknowledged the significance of the occasion.

“I’m very proud,” Farke said. “Sometimes there’s a game during the season that just feels a bit more important than the others. This will do a lot for our confidence and belief. It’s a massive win.”

Attention now turns to Forest, who will watch Saturday’s action nervously. Despite a recent upturn in form that has yielded eight points from their previous four matches, a West Ham victory would once again tighten the relegation battle. That concern, however, is unlikely to trouble Leeds, their supporters or Farke — who deserves considerable credit for overseeing a notable mid-season revival.

The match began at a furious tempo despite difficult conditions, with both sides clearly aware of what was at stake. Each enjoyed spells of pressure in the opening exchanges, although the first clear opportunity fell to Forest when Nicolás Domínguez forced an excellent save from Karl Darlow following a swift counter-attack.

Moments later, Leeds struck. With the pitch heavy, players splattered with mud and Elland Road in full voice, the opening goal felt appropriately old-fashioned. Ilia Gruev launched a perfectly weighted long ball over the top to find Jayden Bogle, whose run was impeccably timed before he calmly slotted past Stefan Ortega for his first Premier League goal for the club.

Just four minutes later, Leeds doubled their advantage in far more intricate fashion. A flowing move culminated in Brenden Aaronson threading a pass through to James Justin. Although Justin’s initial effort was saved by Ortega, he showed excellent awareness to square the rebound for Noah Okafor, who tapped into an empty net to score his first goal since October. Forest, having competed well for nearly half an hour, suddenly found themselves two goals down.

Sean Dyche was visibly animated on the touchline, attempting to rally his side, later lamenting the simplicity of the errors that proved costly.

“They’re wise enough to know the basics and they didn’t do that,” Dyche said. “When we arrived we were two points inside the relegation zone, now we’re six points clear. My message will stay the same.”

Forest needed a strong start after the break but suffered the worst possible beginning. Four minutes into the second half, sustained Leeds pressure led to a third goal as Gruev delivered a curling cross, which Calvert-Lewin expertly guided past Ortega and into the net with his chest.

It marked Calvert-Lewin’s 10th Premier League goal of the season — his best top-flight return since the 2020–21 campaign, when he was an England international. No English player has scored more league goals this season, and the Elland Road crowd, thoroughly enjoying the moment, serenaded their No 9 with chants calling for an international recall.

Dyche introduced a series of substitutions as the hour mark approached, whether in an effort to stem the flow of Leeds chances or to reignite his side’s challenge. Neither objective was achieved.

In truth, it was a subdued performance from Forest beyond their promising opening quarter. They did, however, manage a late consolation when new signing Lorenzo Lucca headed in an Omari Hutchinson cross to score his first Premier League goal. By that point, though, the outcome had long been decided.