Forest, meanwhile, have won only two of their last nine Premier League games.
Crucially, one of those was a 2-1 win at West Ham last month, which prevented the Hammers from finishing a point behind.
And, even when Nuno Espirito Santo’s side beat Sunderland two weeks earlier, Forest responded with an impressive 2–0 win at Brentford 24 hours later.
However, those results were achieved with a first-choice defense – and the absence of Matze Sels due to a groin injury has also been a big loss.
Replacing last season’s joint Golden Glove winner with John Victor in December was a gamble and ultimately backfired, with Victor now sidelined for the remainder of the campaign.
This prompted Forest to bring in Stefan Ortega from Manchester City during the transfer window – but his debut against Leeds meant a defense that was so consistent last season was further transformed.
Zach Abbott was another debutant at Elland Road, with the 19-year-old making his first Premier League appearance in the absence of injured defender Murillo.
Abbott was on target in the first half as Leeds took advantage of his inexperience – although Leeds’ goals ultimately ended due to collective failure.
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