LEEDS, England (AP) — Leeds United scored twice in four minutes in a dominant first half and added a third just after halftime to beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 and give their Premier League relegation battle a major boost on Friday.
Leeds’ fourth straight win on Friday night moved them nine points clear of the relegation zone, level with the two clubs above them, Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur.
Forest’s four-game unbeaten run in the league came to an abrupt end, leaving them in 17th place.
Leeds started with the advantage and took the lead after 26 minutes.
With Forest’s defense stationary, Jayden Bogle ran in to a great through ball from Ilya Guluev and poked it under the hesitant keeper.
Four minutes later, Noah Okafor broke his 16-game scoring streak to make it 2-0. However, much of the credit goes to James Justin. He started from the right flank and made no mistake as his shot was parried into the path of the former Napoli and AC Milan winger.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored the goal three minutes into the second half when he ran past Stefan Ortega and deflected Guluev’s ball into the box.
Lorenzo Lucca’s devastating goal for Forest with six minutes remaining did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the home fans at Elland Road.
“It’s always nice to bring three points back to the practice field,” Justin said. “We put in a graft because they deserved it.
“Some of the football we played tonight was some of the best we’ve played all season. To put on a performance like that is huge in the league.”
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