Nottingham Forest 1-0 Leeds: Brennan Johnson scores a good winner as the hosts continue their good form

They love to talk about the European Cup and more than four decades after Nottingham Forest lifted the trophy for the second time, they owed a three-time winner three crucial points in the fight for survival.

Keylor Navas won the Champions League three times with Real Madrid and at 36 years and 52 days became the oldest goalkeeper to make a Premier League debut since Andy Goram for Manchester United in 2001.

However, following his loan move from Paris St Germain, Navas made a fabulous impression with four first-half saves that allowed Forest to stay afloat against Leeds.

The home side led early through Brennan Johnson’s special and held their own, although Leeds had the lion’s share of possession and had the game’s best attacking player in Wilfried Gnonto.

That win put Forest six points clear of the relegation zone and means Leeds are outside the relegation zone on goal difference alone.

Brennan Johnson’s first-half volley was enough for Nottingham Forest to win

The Welsh star shot home with just 13 minutes on the clock to continue his own fine form

Leeds boss Jesse Marsch is struggling to deliver results for his out-of-form United side

Boss Jesse Marsch said he’s never felt so supported by his board, but if results don’t improve soon they will have a difficult decision to make, with scattered “march out” chants from away end to full-time.

Leeds have won just two of the last 17 in the league and are now without top scorer Rodrigo for two months with an ankle injury. Patrick Bamford had a bad game in his place.

Two minutes later, Navas brought Forest out of jail. Mistakes by centre-backs Willy Boly and Scott McKenna let in Luis Sinisterra, who aimed for the far post but was thwarted by Navas.

Leeds enjoyed most of the game but, as so often this season, they made life difficult for themselves.

Pascal Struijk was fooled down the left by Johnson and conceded a stupid free-kick. And when Morgan Gibbs-White delivered, Struijk could only steer towards Johnson on the edge of the box. The home star’s sweet volley gave Illan Meslier no chance and Forest took the lead. Neither side knew, but replays suggested Johnson might have been offside on the move that took the free-kick.

Marsch made an excited figure on the sidelines, because the intelligent structure of his team found no equivalent in the end. The Americans also saw decisions against them: Boly’s forearm punch against Wilfried Gnonto somehow went unpunished and Danilo was perhaps lucky that he only got a yellow card for a terrible tackle against Struijk.

Leeds’ frustration grew. Luke Ayling found Gnonto on the left, the winger deflecting the ball across the six yard box where Sinisterra smashed it over – his second golden chance of half-time.

Then Patrick Bamford sent Gnonto free on the left, only to miss the back pass. The loose ball ran to Ayling and Navas again saved his team. Moments later, Navas scraped Ayling’s header over the goal and got a foot in Boly’s face. But he was soon back in action, deftly parried by Gnonto after Jack Harrison’s lofted pass threw Neco Williams into a horrible mess.

However, as dominant as Leeds were, they nearly screwed it up again just before the break. Meslier raced towards an aimless ball from Renan Lodi only for Chris Wood to get there first and put it past the Frenchman. Wood should have picked a team-mate straight away but dallyed and Leeds came back.

Wilfried Gnonto (right) was key to much of Leeds’ attacking play during the game

Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper was frustrated by a poor first-half performance

Although his team was in the lead, Forest boss Steve Cooper had seen enough. He made a double substitution, sending Serge Aurier and Jack Colback for Danilo and Orel Mangala and switching from a diamond in midfield to 4-4-1-1 to give his full-backs more protection against Leeds full-backs.

Marsch further raged at officials when Gnonto was denied a free kick after a tussle with Aurier and Tyler Adams appeared to decline Boly’s offer of a handshake after a foul that earned the Forest man a yellow card.

However, Leeds should have focused better on their own defence. Another hopeful ball over the top caught them straight and suddenly Williams – who had been switched from right-back to left midfield – was in goal. Ayling managed to delay him just enough and the attempted angled chip drifted just over the bar.

Although the visitors still had plenty of possession, Cooper’s reorganization worked, with Aurier monitoring Gnonto far better than Williams and Colback doing a lot of crucial defensive work in central midfield.

Midway through the second half, it was Forest’s turn to get angry at referee Robert Jones. Johnson was held back on the touchline by Struijk only for the defender to avoid a second yellow.

Marsch was a paragon of fear as his team struggled to break through. They grew testy on the pitch too and Gnonto was lucky not to be penalized for kicking a stray ball thrown from the crowd that delayed a Leeds throw-in.

Meanwhile, Sam Surridge had replaced Wood, who had made an ineffective home debut following his loan move from Newcastle. The substitute should have sealed the points when the ball reached him after Meslier flapped on a free-kick only to send his shot too high.

Leeds remain outside the relegation zone on goal difference only as their poor form continues

Cooper clapped the applause at full time, with his Forest side sitting 13th in the league standings