DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN continues to go up and up with Leeds – but sorry Nottingham Forest were left deep in the mire.
The hotshot further strengthened calls for an England return with his tenth goal of the season in this 3-0 thrashing.
His expertly chested finish added to earlier strikes from Jayden Bogle and Noah Okafor to lift Daniel Farke’s side nine points clear of safety.
It was the perfect tonic to wash away the bitter taste of last week’s 4-0 home humbling to Arsenal.
Though it leaves Sean Dyche’s Forest looking anxiously over their shoulders.
The downfall began in casual fashion as Ilia Gruev strode forward unchallenged towards half way. He lifted a pass over the top of the static Forest defence. Bogle timed his run to perfection, getting away from the flat-footed Nikola Milenkovic, and rifled past Stefan Ortega.
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It was game over four minutes later. James Justin played a lovely one-two with Aaronson before pulling the trigger. His strike was saved, but the defender kept a cool head to pull it back from the right into the centre for Okafor to slot home right-footed.
You could feel the release of joy and relief as Elland Road exploded as the Swiss forward raced off towards the corner flag to celebrate.
And who could blame him as the £18m summer signing from AC Milan ended a 16-game barren run.
Thankfully for Dyche he shaves his head, otherwise he would have been tearing his hair out.
Even though the hosts had made the faster starter, Leeds’ double-whammy arrived just as Forest had started knocking on the door.
Leeds stopper Karl Darlow was called into action to push wide Nicolas Dominguez’s curler after Morgan Gibbs-White’s knockdown.
Igor Jesus then headed straight at the goalie from an Elliot Anderson corner before the England midfielder failed to hit the target with a free header of his own at the back post.
But Forest had come within a whisker of failing behind moments prior to Bogle breaking the deadlock.
Calvert-Lewin rose brilliantly to meet Justin’s inviting knock only to agonisingly see his thunderous effort cannon off the crossbar.
But within six minutes that pain had evaporated as the hosts produced the quickfire double-whammy to set Forest heads spinning and leave them with a mountain to climb.
Dyche’s side have now conceded 20 first-half goals in 26 games, with only Burnley (23) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (21) conceded more in the Premier League this season.
And his men were left with an even tougher task as Leeds caught them cold from the restart with a knockout blow. And this time there was no stopping Calvert-Lewin.
The outstanding Gruev grabbed his second assist of the evening, floating in a left-footed cross from the corner edge of the area for the No.9 to get in front of the startled Zach Abbott and cushion it with his chest first time into the net with Ortega diving in the opposite direction.
It was another timely reminder to Thomas Tuchel of exactly what he can do ahead of next month’s international and this summer’s showpiece.
Forest were reeling. They had collected 10 points from their five games against other sides in the bottom five – including a 3-1 win over Leeds at the City Ground in November in Dyche’s first game – but they were crumbling fast.
Ortega somehow kept it out after his defence failed to clear a corner, though it was far from convincing.
The debutant, signed this week from Manchester City after an injury to Matz Sels, patted the ball down weakly inside his six-yard area, but luckily for him there was no Leeds player there to rub more salt in the wounds.
But now Dyche is left hoping his old employers Burnley, who already looked doomed, can do him a favour by toppling the Hammers and avoiding the heat really being turned on in the scrap for survival.
Sub Lorenzo Lucca salvaged some pride at the death for the visitors by heading home Omari Hutchinson‘s cross, but it was all too little too late.
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