Kyle Newbould: Leeds beat Forest 3-1 as Gruev shines and Calvert-Lewin hits 10 | OneFootball

Leeds United enjoyed another fine night at Elland Road, beating Nottingham Forest 3-1 on Friday as Jayden Bogle, Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin struck to seal the points.

Ilia Gruev pulled the strings with two assists and the head coach was effusive. “He’s outstanding,” said Daniel Farke. “Always a 7/10 performance but he was pretty close to 10/10 today,” he told Sky Sports.

Chances were traded early on before Bogle burst from deep to meet Gruev’s pass and open the scoring on 26 minutes. Okafor doubled the lead before the break, then on 49 minutes Gruev’s shot-cross sat awkwardly and Calvert-Lewin improvised a chest finish. Lorenzo Lucca netted a late consolation for Forest.

Calvert-Lewin reached 10 Premier League goals, his first double-figure league return since 2020/21 under Carlo Ancelotti, when he scored 16. “It’s big. I’ve not done it for a while so it’s something I’ve been striving for since the last time I did it,” he said. “I’m hungry for more.”

Farke’s bold selections were vindicated, with Gruev and Okafor justifying their starts and Facundo Buonanotte absent. Pairing Gruev with Ethan Ampadu against opponents below Leeds in the table carried risk, yet the midfield offered attacking intent and control.

After last weekend’s error against Arsenal, Karl Darlow responded with a steady display and several key saves while the game was live. It eased concerns around the position and, if repeated, should be enough for him to keep the gloves.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk