Leeds’ managerial change tilts the relegation battle in their favour

It was a night when Nottingham Forest had the chance to save Steve Cooper’s job. Instead, the eventual verdict could be that they saved Leeds United’s season. In February, they dealt the final blow to finish off Jesse Marsch, who was sacked after the defeat at City Ground.

Leeds rather fell on their feet when, after a chaotic search for a successor, they settled for Javi Gracia, but the smiling Spaniard proved the upgrade they needed, as Forest can now testify.

The win for Cooper’s side took Gracia back to three wins from six league games, which is in stark contrast to Marsch’s two in the last 17, and reshaped the relegation battle. Leeds are in the bottom three, all the way to the dizzying heights of 13th. The image changes so often that it has no finality, but Forest now feels in greater danger of falling.

It was a meeting of clubs defined, albeit in very different ways, by Brian Clough and there was a time when Forest were such good travelers that they conquered Europe twice. They now hold the worst away record in the Premier League and even as the lowest scorers on the road in the country have taken the lead, then squandered it. Leeds were relentless after that.

They continue to be synonymous with entertainment and energy. There are games where Gracia looked to add more control by altering Marsch’s style of striking and speed, but this was one where they felt Forest, now without a win in eight outings, were there for the taking and subdued an assault.

This was a win with Gracia’s stamp on it. He shows more of a willingness to tweak his team with the opposition in mind and while his wings were match-winners, it was instructive that he opted to reverse them. Lefty Jack Harrison excelled on the right. The right-footed Luis Sinisterra played on the left.

Harrison was rejuvenated by Gracia’s appointment and scored his third goal in four games. Sinisterra has not scored in the league since September, but after scoring 23 times for Feyenoord last season, he arrives with the promise that he could be a prolific replacement for Raphinha. That has yet to materialise, but this was not a night when Leeds needed to feel nostalgic about the departed Brazilian. Sinisterra was sublime, his talent evident in his footwork and finishing. He tormented Neco Williams and was close to a second goal with a sublime curler.

He may be an example of the latent potential in the team, the sense in which the group of players has been better than the poor win total suggested under Marsch. The American has had iconic triumphs over Chelsea and Liverpool: pragmatically, however, Gracia’s wins may be more valuable as he has beaten relegation rivals Southampton, Wolves and now Forest.

If one criticism of Marsch was that Leeds were unable to respond when they fell behind against Forest two months ago, the return produced an impressive response. Forest were superb but for 11 minutes they scored just once and were inches away from a two-goal lead. After that, Leeds were rampant and dominant.

Forest, meanwhile, were complicit in their downfall. They proved rather passive as they sat in front of Leeds and Marc Roca was left to fire. Keylor Navas stopped his drive but pushed it to Harrison who made his effort. Then, as the break signaled, Sinisterra struck. The Colombian went past Williams and cut upfield to use his favorite foot and find the far corner of the net.

There should have been more goals. Roca was great in midfield, making positive passes. Patrick Bamford was brought back into the side after Gracia started without a specialist striker at Arsenal, and he dragged a half-volley wide. They collected 21 hits.

They don’t get bored. Their last four games have produced 18 goals, which does not suggest the chaos under Marcelo Bielsa and Marsch has been left in the past, but there are attempts to bring more order and Forest rarely threatened to equalise.

The worst part for Leeds came first. Emmanuel Dennis curled a shot against the post after Morgan Gibbs-White’s corner bounced off Bamford’s chest and fell kindly. Then Dennis, who started superbly, provided a cutback, Orel Mangala fooled Sinisterra with a dummy and provided a pinpoint finish for his first Forest goal and just his fifth away from home.

Răgaz motioned to Cooper; instead, as was the case in February, defeat in a meeting between these teams made a manager’s position feel ever more precarious – and the fabric of the relegation battle changed again.