SABRI LAMOUCHI’S Forest moved to within a point of second-top Leeds on a day when the Championship race was blown wide open.
Six points now separate the top seven teams and everyone – from table-toppers West Brom down to Bristol City – look capable of winning it or throwing promotion away on a weekly basis.
Sammy Ameobi fired home the winnerCredit: Rex Features
Forest punished Leeds for two self-inflicted wounds which must have left Leeds’ fragile confidence at rock-bottom.
First cock-up keeper Kiko Casilla allowed a speculative Sammy Ameobi shot beat him at his near post.
Then deep in stoppage time poor Jack Harrison got his feet in a muddle and was sacked in the middle of the pitch by Joe Lolley who hared off with sub Tyler Walker in tow, before squaring for his buddy to beat Casilla to wrap up this pulsating game.
The Championship still hasn’t reached squeaky-bum time yet with almost a third of this marathon race still to be run.
However Leeds’ bowels have been rumbling ominously for weeks now, with Casilla looking particularly vulnerable.
Ameobi’s strike lifted Forest up to fourth in the leagueCredit: PA:Press Association
Marcelo Bielsa’s boys had won just one of their last five Championship matches ahead of this tricky test by the banks of the Trent – their 11 point lead at the top of the table in December already a distant memory.
Leeds were being all Leedsy again and their long-suffering support desperately wanted it to stop right here, right now.
The 5.30pm kick-off did nothing for their frayed nerves as Fulham, Brentford and Preston all won earlier to heap even more pressure on the second-placed visitors.
Bielsa demanded a response and needed his players to make a big statement to restore confidence.
Unfortunately, goalkeeper Kiko Cassila must have missed the memo as the 33-year-old Spaniard had a howler, to confirm Leeds fans’ fears that he could cost them promotion.
There was little to separate the sides until he dropped a horrendous clanger.
Tyler Walker added the gloss on a terrific afternoon for ForestCredit: Rex Features
Both sides had a couple of decent chances in the early skirmishes and ref Oliver Langford felt the fury of Forest fans when he denied he home side a stonewall penalty after 13 minutes.
Joe Worall was wrestled to the ground by Liam Cooper, who had allowed the Firest defender to get away from him at a corner but the official missed the incident completely.
At the other end Patrick Bamford should have had the net bulging when Pablo Hernandez picked him out with a perfect cross. But the striker mistimed his header from six yards and failed to trouble Brice Samba in goal.
It was a costly miss as Forest went in front after 31 minutes with a goal which showed up Casilla’s flaws.
Joe Lolley deserves praise for pick-pocketing the ball in midfield and ushered it on to Sammy Ameobi who worked a short 1-2 with Yuri Ribeiro and broke into the box at pace.
Lewis Grabban was racing up in support which might have distracted Casilla but that was no excuse for what happened next.
Ameobi let fly with a swerving left footer which beat the Spanish keeper at his near post.
It was a cardinal sin by the goalie, who was falling back instead of moving to the flight of the ball and it left him looking foolish.
As Ameobi celebrated his first goal for more than three months, Forest fans taunted their opponents, chanting “Leeds, Leeds are falling apart again.”
Casilla certainly was and he almost gifted Firest a second goal just before the break with a sloppy throw out which landed straight at Ben Watson’s feet.
Bielsa’s side suffered yet another promotion wobbleCredit: PA:Press Association
As the keeper back-tracked frantically Watson chose to pass rather than chip and the open Leeds goal survived.
Forest could have killed the game stone dead after the break when Joe Lolley skipped past two defenders played in Grabben who chopped inside his marker.
Casilla bought the dummy too and went to ground, leaving a gaping net, however Grabben slammed his shot low off the stranded goalie’s legs.
Leeds suddenly gave themselves a shake as Bielsa sent on Tyler Roberts for Hernandez, who booted a water bottle in disgust as he stormed off.
They thought they had equalised in 75 minutes when Cooper thundered a downwards header at goal and Samba could only knock the ball instinctively into the air.
It appeared to be looping over him into the net until the Forest goalie thrust his arm up and somehow managed to get a fist to punch the ball clear.
Leeds fans waited for goal-line tech to tell them they could celebrate but amazingly Forest were let off the hook.
They rode their luck all the way to the end as Leeds pummelled them in search of a goal.
It finally arrived deep into stoppage time – unfortunately for the visitors it was Forest sub Walker who nabbed it!
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
