Nottingham Forest Pip Leeds 1-0
Steve Cooper says his Nottingham Forest side are “building an identity” after Brennan Johnson’s goal gave them victory over Leeds.
Forest were second-best throughout the first half, but Johnson’s thumping 14th-minute strike was enough to move them six points clear of the relegation places.
After Leeds failed to clear a free-kick on the right, the ball bounced up for the Wales forward to rifle it into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
“I was disappointed with our football today. We’re thinking about how we get better,” Cooper told Sky Sports.
“We’re building an identity, we’re building a team. We’ve been doing that from the summer so… step by step.”
The hosts were indebted to debutant goalkeeper Keylor Navas, on loan from Paris St-Germain, who made important first-half saves from Wilfried Gnonto, Luke Ayling and Luis Sinisterra, who put Leeds’ best chance of the game over the bar from six yards out.
Leeds’ threat all but vanished in the second period and Forest comfortably held on for a third victory in five Premier League games, moving up to the 13th in the table.
“The first half for us was just about the individual moments of Keylor’s saves and Brennan’s finish,” Cooper told BBC Match of the Day.
“We’re obviously really happy with the win. I’m not really happy with the performance and that’s my job to look into that. I don’t think it would be elite enough just to think about the win. So there’s work to do but we know that.”
Jesse Marsch’s Leeds, meanwhile, have gone seven league games without a win and stay 17th, above the relegation zone only on goal difference.
Navas shows his class on Premier League debut
Of Forest’s 29 signings since the start of last summer, Navas – a three-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid – was perhaps the biggest name.
He quickly showed why he is so highly rated, racing off his line and getting down sharply to deny Sinisterra inside the first two minutes.
Forest struggled to getting going at all in the first half with ventures into the Leeds half few and far between, and while the visitors by no means laid siege to Navas’ goal, the Costa Rican was there to make a number of crucial interventions when called upon.
Ayling and Gnonto had goalbound efforts repelled with the former also seeing his header back across goal clawed away by Navas ahead of the waiting Patrick Bamford