Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper felt they gifted the game to Leeds after Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat at Elland Road.
Orel Mangala gave the visitors the lead, but Leeds responded in style, with Jack Harrison and Luis Sinisterra turning the game around before halftime.
Cooper later said, “It’s always disappointing to lose, but start as we did, take the lead, and not manage that at all was really disappointing.
“We didn’t show enough bravery or courage with the ball. More disappointing we didn’t compete well enough in the game. We gave Leeds too much space and we didn’t get enough pressure on the ball. Leeds got the momentum and got the goals.
“In the second half we just never managed to get the break through and create clear-cut chances.
“There’s only ourselves to blame.
“We didn’t manage going 1-0 up well enough. We stopped trying to play and simply didn’t get enough pressure on the ball when we could have. We gave momentum to Leeds and they took advantage out of it.
“We are openly trying to own our negative away form and trying to do something about it. We didn’t manage going 1-0 up well enough. We can’t hide from the fact our away form is awful. We just can’t manage to get a result away from home.
“There was a better reaction in the second half, no doubt about that. The players didn’t give up and tried to get back in the game. I’m not going to stand here and say there’s loads of positives in the game because we had a period in the first half where we lost the game.
“We’re really disappointed we could have gone up to 13th with a win and made a gap. But, at the same time, it’s still everything to play for. It’s still in our hands. But for sure, you have to do something about it and make the most of it. We’re still in that situation.”
