Ilia Gruev quietly does something at Elland Road vs Nottingham Forest not seen in over five years
Leeds United scored a vital win over Nottingham Forest in a relegation six-pointer on Friday night.
Leeds ran out 3-1 winners over Nottingham Forest at Elland Road, moving Daniel Farke‘s side nine points clear of the relegation zone on the night.
Jayden Bogle earned significant praise for his Forest showing, on a night where himself, Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored the three precious goals for Leeds.
Next up for Leeds is a trip to Stamford Bridge to take on rivals Chelsea on Tuesday night, and they’ll head to the capital full of confidence after Friday night’s victory.
Ilia Gruev writes Elland Road history not seen since December 2020
There were many players in Leeds shirts that rightly came out of the Forest game receiving major plaudits, as it’s undoubtedly the most important win of the season so far.
However, it was Ilia Gruev who put in a man of the match performance, registering two assists to cap off a generally excellent all-round showing.
The Bulgarian international hasn’t every really been the first name on the teamsheet since his move to West Yorkshire in the summer of 2023, but he’s proven time and time again just how important he is.
And, he’s now an Elland Road history-maker too, as he performed a feat that no Leeds player has done at their iconic home in well over five years.
Indeed, Gruev became the first Leeds player since Pablo Hernandez in December 2020 to register two assists in a Premier League game at Elland Road, as detailed by Leeds’ Opta stats provider Jonny Cooper via X.
That’s some company to be in for a Whites player, as Hernandez is undoubtedly one of the most well-loved and talented players to don the shirt in many years.
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Gruev has given Farke plenty to think about
With Anton Stach missing the Forest game through injury, Farke decided to call upon Gruev to replace the German in midfield.
Gruev was favoured over the likes of Ao Tanaka and Sean Longstaff, and the 25-year-old certainly grabbed his opportunity with both hands.
The Forest win was Gruev’s 11th start from his 16 Premier League appearances so far, and it was the kind of performance that will have Leeds fans saying: ‘how do you drop him after that?’
Farke certainly has food for though in that department now.