Steve Cooper living on borrowed time after Leeds fightback

Of all the indignities heaped on Steve Cooper in recent weeks, this latest setback could prove the most damaging.

Not only to Nottingham Forest’s Premier League survival hopes, but his continued job prospects. It is now eight games without a win for Cooper’s men, an awful run which has left them in the thick of the relegation scrap.

Cooper was forced to concede that defeat to a key rival – as Leeds United climbed above Forest and out of the bottom three – was a cause for huge concern. He appears to retain the backing of the Forest fanbase but quite how much patience owner Evangelos Marinakis has remains to be seen.

Asked whether he expects to be sacked, Cooper said: “I respect the question but I’m not that guy who thinks like that – I think of the greater good of the club. Any worry, frustration and disappointment I’m feeling now is that Forest have lost a game they could have done so much better in.

“I’ve been answering questions about myself for a while now but I try to focus on the controllable – that’s where I’m at. I really believe in myself and my work.”

Patrick Vieira, recently dismissed by Crystal Palace, has been tipped as a potential successor should the axe fall.

Cooper, who said he had not been given any indication about his position from the club’s hierarchy afterwards, waved to Forest’s fans at the final whistle.

“That was more about the performance, don’t read anything into that,” he continued. “I will be forever grateful to the supporters. When they are so good to me, when we let them down it is painful. The more support I get the more determined I get and the more paranoid I get about not letting them down. I don’t think it is the worst mindset to think about the greater good.”

For Leeds, though, things really are looking up. This was their third win in six Premier League games under Javi Gracia and they were worthy victors. The softly-spoken Spaniard is patiently writing a new chapter at Elland Road after succeeding Jesse Marsch in February.

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Gracia was asked whether he had any sympathy for Cooper’s increasingly precarious position. “That question is not for me but I wish all the coaches the best. Those decisions are for others,” he said.

Orel Mangala put Forest ahead but first-half strikes from Jack Harrison and Luis Sinisterra proved decisive.

Leeds had not hosted Forest in a Premier League game since a 3-1 win in April 1999. Football may have changed beyond all recognition since but Elland Road’s vintage stands and raucous atmosphere remains largely the same.

That raw fervour, that unifying sense of togetherness when Marching on Together is belted out by a capacity crowd remains one of the most impressive sights and sounds in the English game.

Gracia had spoken on Monday of how he had been inspired by the club’s famous anthem, suggesting their vociferous support can help Leeds to climb away from relegation danger. If they could not overcome a Forest side wobbling alarmingly and struggling for confidence, could they consider themselves ready to march to safety?

Forest, though, conjured a beautifully-crafted 12th-minute opener as a flowing move saw Emmanuel Dennis break down the left flank and find Orel Mangala on the edge of the 18-yard box. The Belgium midfielder showed delightful footwork to evade Sinisterra and strike a powerful right-foot shot into the bottom right-hand corner.

It was Mangala’s first goal for Forest and the cue for more pro-Cooper chants in the away end but Leeds steadied themselves and equalised in the 20th minute. The ball was worked to Marc Roca 20 yards from goal and his left-foot strike was parried by Keilor Navas but Harrison was the quickest to react, firing home with deadly aplomb from 10 yards out.

Leeds began to dominate and, in first-half added time, Sinisterra put them ahead in scintillating fashion.

The Colombia winger expertly created the space to hit a superb diagonal right-foot shot into the far corner, sparking more delirium in the home stands.

Chances for further home goals came and went but Leeds, united, secured a precious victory, leaving Cooper fighting desperately for his job.