Leeds United humble pie admission after Farke doubt — Graham Smyth's Nottingham Forest Verdict — YEP 7/2/26
By Graham Smyth
The verdict on Leeds United’s mammoth victory over
Nottingham Forest.
Cake-obsessed Leeds United boss Daniel Farke is making a
hell of a habit of dishing out the most delicious humble pie.
It seems that when doubt is either creeping in around the
German and his decision-making ability, or enshrouding the club completely when
the pressure is cranked up to hellish levels, Farke is right at home. "If
you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen," is one of his mantras
when it comes to a job few would do with such relish, given all that comes with
it.
On a miserable Friday night at Elland Road, the heat was
really on. Again. Once more Farke led his team into a game that was a must-win
encounter, if everyone is being honest. No one likes to say that out loud, but
regardless of the relative positions of Leeds and Nottingham Forest, the
fixtures that lay beyond this one for Leeds are a classic case of the night
being darkest before the dawn. Trips to Chelsea and Aston Villa and the Elland
Road visit of Manchester City. The prospect of the league table looking a
little bleaker before some very winnable home games, was very real. So Forest
at Elland Road under the floodlights was a timely opportunity to make the drop
zone a little more distant and transfer the pressure back onto West Ham United.
Those winnable home games are all well and good until
they're upon you and you have to actually go and win them. Forest was
definitely one of those. Though Farke's selection, particularly the profile of
the midfield, did not immediately scream 'going for it.' Ethan Ampadu anchored
a trio that included another defensive-minded operator in Ilia Gruev, and
Brenden Aaronson. Sean Longstaff remained on the bench alongside Ao Tanaka.
Lukas Nmecha, Daniel James and Jaka Bijol all returned from injury to be included
among the substitutes and Facundo Buonanotte missed out entirely - not through
injury but simply Farke's preference. The team and squad selection did not land
altogether sympathetically with the rank and file. It was not the team
predicted by commentators, this correspondent included.
On a night when nerves could so easily settle with the rain
at Elland Road, a good start was of paramount importance. Leeds' start could
only really have been bettered with a goal. It was the Gabriel Gudmundsson show
giving the early encouragement. Three times the left wing-back got round the
outside, his pace and balance giving Forest a torrid time of it, delivering
quality into the box to boot. One of his crosses was flicked goalwards and
deflected behind, another was deflected just over the top.
Fellow left-sided threat Noah Okafor came up with a cross
that was better still, almost giving Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jayden Bogle a
sniff of goal. But the start gave way to Forest finding some moments of their
own, drawing three saves from Karl Darlow in the process. One was a spectacular
acrobatic effort from Nicolas Dominguez' curler, sandwiched between two more
routine stops.
Errors in possession from Gudmundsson, Okafor and Ampadu
stunted Leeds' momentum in possession, handing the ball back to Forest all-too
easily and allowing Sean Dyche's men to settle into it nicely. They frustrated
Leeds, without unduly threatening until the two sides swapped very good headed
chances. For Forest it was Igor Jesus at the back post, getting in between
James Justin and Bogle and heading down and wide of the upright. At the other
end Justin swung in a beauty of a cross and Calvert-Lewin thumped a header off
the crossbar. Okafor's follow up was wild and wayward.
It was a game hanging in the balance, begging someone to
take control with a moment of quality and there was no little irony in the
architect of that moment. Gruev looked up from deep and spun a
perfectly-weighted ball over the Forest backline and into the stride of Bogle
inside the box. So good was the ball that Bogle needed just one touch to send
it beyond Stefan Ortega to open the scoring. It later emerged that Leeds had
worked on that very ball, from that very player, in training at Thorp Arch in
the week.
With confidence flowing, Leeds went and grabbed another four
minutes later. Justin's one-two with Aaronson took him into the area for a shot
and when it was saved he stayed calm, slotting the rebound to the unmarked
Okafor to tap in number two. This was big-game mentality and ruthless timing.
Josh Warrington was a special guest at the game and the one-two punch that
rocked Forest so heavily would serve him well in his upcoming fight with Reds
fan Leigh Wood.
Whether it was the occasion, the rain-drenched surface or a
mixture of both, Leeds still looked a tad nervy on the ball and some sloppy
moments encouraged Forest to drive forward in search of a way back. Yet where
Leeds had penetrated the opposition defence with a ball over the top and quick
passing, Forest were restricted to long shots - only one of which had to be
dealt with by Darlow.
A perfect second-half start from Leeds United
The second half could have been a bag of nerves, with Elland
Road living and dying on every transition and chance. So Leeds went and did the
most sensible thing possible, scoring another goal. The Gruev masterclass was
already well underway by this stage. He had popped up all over the pitch, won
his battles and played some lovely football, before intercepting on the edge of
the box and sending the ball goalwards. No one cared if it was a shot or a
delivery, because Calvert-Lewin improvised brilliantly to dive and chest into
the net for a 3-0 lead.
Had it not been for Ortega's hands, Gruev might have added a
goal to his pair of assists, after Pascal Struijk was denied from close range.
A fourth would have killed it stone dead. Such comfort is rarely the Leeds way.
Instead a cross from Omari Hutchinson was headed in by giant striker Lorenzo
Lucca and the nerves jangled a little. But only a little. Darlow's final act
was another fine acrobatic stop and Leeds had the win and the nine-point
cushion they needed so badly.
Farke, who routinely speaks of a post-win desire to
celebrate with coffee and cake, purred about his team's performance, their
response to the Arsenal defeat and the way they dug in to keep Forest out in
nine minutes of stoppage time. He lauded Gruev, his mix of 'Hristo Stoichkov
and Lothar Matthäus' and revealed the Bulgarian, along with Okafor, had
impressed in training to earn their spots in the side. But it was the way he
saw Gruev's role benefitting Leeds against Forest to exploit a weakness he had
seen that stood out most in the post-match discussions. The abundance of
caution detected by those of us forced to hold our hands up at full-time, was
actually a well-thought-out plan. And it worked. Not for the first time.
Maybe while jeopardy is still in the room then Farke will
always have something to prove as he attempts to avoid the drop for the first
time as a Premier League manager, but the fact that fear is not the main
character at Leeds right now is due in large part to the German and his
decisions. The performances he is getting from a team that buys in and puts
their all in without question. Nine points will almost certainly do it and
there are 13 opportunities to go and get them. The humble pie could keep coming
for Farke's critics and doubters but doesn't it taste sweet?
