Leeds United vs Nottingham Forest talking points as Steve Cooper on brink of sack

Leeds United leapfrogged relegation rivals Nottingham Forest in the Premier League table following Tuesday night’s 2-1 win at Elland Road.

After Orel Mangala’s shock opening goal for the visitors, Jack Harrison and Luis Sinisterra scored for the Whites as they climbed up to 13th with a third victory in six games under new boss Javi Gracia.

Forest, meanwhile, have dropped to 17th after an eighth winless match, leaving their manager Steve Cooper under huge pressure.

Here, Sportsmail’s DAVID COVERDALE discusses the three big talking points from Tuesday’s basement battle.

Leeds United have jumped out of the relegation zone after a huge victory at Elland Road

Goals from Jack Harrison (pictured) and Luis Sinisterra catapulted them up to 13th in the table

Forest’s players begin the inquest after Luis Sinisterra scored the second goal for Leeds 

STEVE COOPER’S DAYS LOOK NUMBERED

Steve Cooper showed more fight in his post-match press conference than his players did in 90 minutes at Elland Road.

The under-fire Forest manager was forced to field several questions over his future and answered them all with dignity and defiance.

Did he fear the sack? ‘I respect the question but any worry, frustration or disappointment I am feeling now is that Forest have lost a game they could have done so much better in,’ he replied.

Why did he wave to fans at the end? ‘I am always grateful for the support. The more support I get the more determined I get and the more paranoid I get about not letting them down,’ he said.

Was he still the right man for the job? ‘I really believe in myself and my work and the level I can work at,’ he admitted.

Cooper, though, offered no such defence for the performance of his players at Leeds. ‘We didn’t show enough bravery and courage,’ he confessed. ‘We felt really short. We only have ourselves to blame.’

The big question now is whether Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis blames his boss. 

Cooper may well have been waving goodbye to the Forest fans after their defeat at Leeds

It now remains to be seen whether owner Evangelos Marinakis decides to fire Cooper

While all of Forest’s relegation rivals – with the exception of West Ham – have made a change in the dug-out this season, Marinakis has so far kept faith in Cooper, even handing him a new contract last October.

But the Greek’s patience is wearing thin and he will not let his club sleepwalk into the Championship after spending £160million on 30 new players.

It was said that Marinakis was angry with Cooper’s tactics and substitutions in last weekend’s draw with Wolves, so you can only imagine what he felt about Tuesday night’s toothless display.

Forest’s last win was actually against Leeds at the beginning of February, after which the losing side gave their manager the bullet the following day.

Now history could be about to repeat itself, with Cooper in line to become the 13th Premier League boss to be sacked this season.

JAVI GRACIA HAS BEEN A REVELATION AT ELLAND ROAD

When Leeds began their search for Jesse Marsch’s replacement, Javi Gracia was not even in the early reckoning.

Rayo Vallecano boss Andoni Iraola and Feyenoord manager Arne Slot were the club’s top targets. Then, when they failed to be prised away from their current clubs, Leeds decided to give caretaker coach Michael Skubala a run at the job.

But results dictated a more experienced hand was needed and an SOS was sent to the out-of-work Gracia. It has proved an inspired appointment so far.

The Spaniard has picked up 10 points from his first six games – as many as Marsch managed to collect in the last 14 matches of his reign.

Javi Gracia was far from Leeds’ first choice to replace Jesse Marsch but has performed well

Leeds won the game thanks to a brilliant strike from Luis Sinisterra just before half-time

Gracia was typically modest about his own impact when it was put to him on Tuesday night. ‘I just do my job,’ he said. ‘The protagonists are the players.’

Unlike his predecessor, Gracia is a man of few words in press conferences and prefers to let results do the talking.

Elland Road can be a madhouse but the 52-year-old is cool and calm. They are traits he has been able to transfer to his team, which is why they were able to respond as well as they did to going a goal down against Forest, rather than panicking as they once would have done.

Despite being far from their first choice, Gracia appears to be the right man at the right time for Leeds and he is steering them to safety.

JACK HARRISON IS GETTING BACK TO HIS BEST

Jack Harrison will forever be remembered for scoring the last-minute winner at Brentford to secure Leeds’ Premier League status on the final day of last season. Well, the winger is proving to be the Whites’ saviour again this term.

He started this campaign in fine form, with some even touting him for an England call-up for Qatar. But his performances nosedived when the Premier League returned after the World Cup.

Harrison almost left Leeds in the January transfer window, with Leicester making a deadline day move.

Jack Harrison was again influential as Leeds picked up a valuable three points at Elland Road

Jesse Marsch fought to keep hold of the winger but he was a shadow of his former self in the dying days of the American’s reign and fans let their frustrations be known.

However, since Javi Gracia’s arrival at Elland Road, Harrison has been a player transformed. His energy is back and so are his assists and goals.

In fact, Harrison has been directly involved in five of the 10 goals scored under Gracia – with three finishes and two assists.

The good news for Gracia is that his other winger, Luis Sinisterra, is now also fit and firing. The Colombian’s wonderful winner was a timely reminder of his talent in a season which has been hampered by injuries.

With Willy Gnonto returning to the bench on Tuesday night, and strikers Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo both now fit, Gracia is suddenly blessed with an array of attacking options.