Leeds United have seen off Nottingham Forest for the second time in the space of four days, winning 2-0 in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.
The Premier League season got off to another perfect start for Leeds. Having won late against Everton last season in game one, we did the same on the road at Nottingham Forest.
Our chance to build on that came in the EFL Cup in the identical fixture, against Oliver Glasner’s side for the second time.
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Leeds United: Daniel Farke starts as he means to go on
Saturday’s Premier League win was a gritty away result we’d not enjoyed once throughout our first campaign. We won twice on the road last season and both instances were just Leeds soundly outplaying Wolves and Man United – not particularly ‘ground-out’ results.
Tuesday night was very different.
Despite six Leeds changes to Forest’s four, it was Leeds who looked like a side with incredible rhythm. We dictated play throughout the game and while chances were spread between the two sides, Leeds were without question the much better outfit and deserved a 2-0 win in the end.
What’s encouraging for Leeds after teething issues in the cup last season, we didn’t look like a side that had changed half the lineup. We looked cohesive, playing through the lines with ease, defending our box well, and carving out chances at will, especially in the second half.
Oliver Glasner praises Leeds United’s togetherness and continuity
One thing I was eager to stress as a strength of Daniel Farke’s this season when I featured on The Overlap (yes I won’t shut up about that) was our continuity.
We’re in a league with so many clubs transitioning either under new managers, having lost big players, or are juggling Europe. We’re not, and that works so well in Farke’s favour and Glasner highlighted it post-match.
“On Saturday it was all square but today they were better,” Glasner told the YEP. “On the other hand, we are responsible for their chances. We made so many mistakes and made so many wrong decisions. Almost every chance came when we lost the ball and were vulnerable.
“But Leeds have been together now for two or three years. They have the same manager, changed system last year but very consistent now. They only lost the last game at West Ham last season but before that were eight games unbeaten.
“A great pre-season, wins against Liverpool, Sunderland and Augsburg, and we can see why. Very aggressive, clear structure. We also had two chances, an incredible recovery of [Joe] Rodon and an incredible save from [James] Trafford.”
As Glasner says, it’s so important that Leeds are in a position where we’re not transitioning. It shows a huge contrast to these sides that are still working through their methods and getting settled.
In turn, you can see a world where Leeds start very brightly this season. It’s a testament to Farke to have a squad and club all pulling in the same direction.
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