Pre-Match, Post-Match

2 Leeds United players who let Javi Gracia down in last night’s 2-1 win v Nottingham Forest 

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Leeds United put in a strong performance last night to beat Nottingham Forest 2-1, moving out of the relegation zone and up to 13th.

Javi Gracia has picked up three wins in his first six games for Leeds as he looks to guide the side well clear of the relegation battle this month.

A home test against Nottingham Forest looked to be a nervous encounter for the Whites as they went behind to a 12th-minute goal for Orel Mangala, but Leeds were only behind until the 20th minute where Jack Harrison scored a deserved equaliser.

Leeds then took the lead in first-half stoppage time when Luis Sinisterra curled in a beautiful effort for the home side to head into the break 2-1 up, a lead they held onto for the rest of the match.

There were some nervy moments though, and here, we look at two players who we think let Gracia down in last night’s win…

Time to take Luke Ayling out of the firing line?

While the left side of the defence guarded against Forest’s threat very well, Leeds struggled down the right with Luke Ayling at fault for the goal.

The right-back gave the ball away a number of times in the first half, with one of those leading to Forest’s break that eventually saw Mangala fire home the game’s opener.

Ayling never seemed to recover from that moment in the first half, struggling to contain Emmanuel Dennis down Forest’s left.

He finished the game with the lowest passing accuracy of any Leeds outfielder (66.2%), and you have to wonder if he keeps his place on Sunday.

Will Leeds stay up?

Yes

Yes

No

No

Patrick Bamford’s toils

Patrick Bamford rightly draws praise for how well he occupies centre-backs but retains possession, but this game wasn’t his finest in linking up.

He struggled to keep the ball often with first-time passes going astray, as much as he was a handful throughout – as is always the case.

A major issue for Leeds is that they have a number nine that is crucial to build-up that very rarely looks like a menace in the final third.

Five shots brought none on target and nothing for Navas to worry about, including a decent chance as Felipe’s poor clearance saw Bamford pick the ball up inside the box, on something of an angle.

He took the shot too quickly, rushing an effort like a striker knowing he needs to be scoring more.

Ironically, his movement and link-up looked a lot better when Rodrigo was playing just off him, and perhaps that’s a great way to avoid Bamford looking isolated.

On the contrary though, his movement to make himself available for a cross or a cut-back was very poor and led to so many opportunities being wasted when Leeds got into great positions

Quiz: Leeds United’s last 15 results v Crystal Palace – Can you score 100%?

1 of 15

October 2022, Selhurst Park?

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Leeds United season ticket holder since 2013/14, currently situated in the middle of the FA5 noise. From Pablo Hernandez to 5-1 drubbings, I've seen it all at Elland Road.

0 comments

  • Ropey Wyla says:

    really? bore off

  • Barry Butteree says:

    If we insist on playing Ayling we will be in deep trouble ttill the end. As for Bamford he should really not even be on the bench, Rutter is not going to reach his full potential when he is warming the bench every game. If Bamford is so vital to Garcia (we are in real trouble) then why not use Bamford and Rutter for half a game each with Rodrigo as the main striker

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