Sean Dyche spotted laughing at Noah Okafor as unseen moment in Leeds win vs Nottingham Forest emerges
Leeds United took a big step towards Premier League survival on Friday night with a 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest at Elland Road.
Jayden Bogle opened the scoring for Leeds, with Noah Okafor adding a second just four minutes later, to give Daniel Farke’s side a two-goal lead at half-time.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin diverted Ilia Gruev’s cross in with his chest moments after the break, and Lorenzo Lucca’s late consolation for Forest could do little to take the shine off a superb evening for the Whites.
Leeds have now moved onto 29 points, level with the likes of Tottenham and six points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.
Sean Dyche amused by Noah Okafor moment
Okafor has been criticised for his Leeds form at times this season, with some feeling that he hasn’t produced the end product required to warrant a place in the starting lineup.
Farke once again trusted the Swiss international from the start against Forest, though, and he delivered, scoring his first goal since the start of October.
Before he had found the back of the net, Okafor was involved in an interesting exchange with Forest manager Sean Dyche.
According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Okafor went to ground right in front Dyche, with the former Everton boss laughing as the winger hit the deck.
However, Dyche wasn’t laughing just a few minutes later, after Leeds had scored two goals in quick succession.
Noah Okafor gets last laugh over Sean Dyche
Just moments after Bogle had put Leeds into a 1-0 lead, Elland Road was once again sent into pandemonium.
James Justin exchanged a quick one-two with Brenden Aaronson before firing a shot towards goal, which was parried out by Stefan Ortega in the Forest goal.
The ball fell to Justin again, who teed up Okafor in the middle, and the 25-year-old made no mistake with the finish from six yards.
It set the Whites well on their way to all three points, and their third win in five games across all competitions.
More impressively though, Leeds have lost just two of their last 12 Premier League games and are now in a great place to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.