Joe Rodon described Leeds United’s squad depth as “unbelievable” after they reached the third round of the EFL Cup following a 2-0 victory away to Nottingham Forest.
Leeds returned to the City Ground three days after Anton Stach’s late winner handed Daniel Farke’s side a 1-0 triumph on the opening day of the Premier League season.
The likes of Daniel James, Noah Okafor, Ao Tanaka and Lukas Nmecha were handed starts for Leeds, while there was also a debut for summer signing Nico Elvedi in defence.
Leeds had to wait until the 50th minute to take the lead through James, who collected Sean Longstaff’s pass before crashing an effort beyond Matz Sels from inside the area.
James Justin made sure of the win in the 75th minute when he squeezed the ball over the line following a goalmouth scramble after Ethan Ampadu’s long throw.
The result saw Leeds progress to the third round of the EFL Cup for the first time since the 2022-23 season, and Rodon highlighted not only the quality within Farke’s squad, but also James’ display after an injury-hit 2025-26 campaign.
“Injuries are a part of the game, we know what he’s capable of, he [James] showed his quality and had a great finish,” Rodon told ITV Sport.
“We need everyone, it’s a long season, the ability in the squad is unbelievable, we need everyone together.
“We want to change the mentality, grow again as a group and win as many games as we can. The signings have been top, we want to continue with this momentum.”
Heading into the next round! pic.twitter.com/hJ8clgzCt3
— Leeds United (@LUFC) August 25, 2026
Leeds were deserving of their win, having registered an expected goals (xG) total of 2.26 from their 13 shots compared to Forest’s total of 0.86 from their eight attempts.
As a top-flight side, Forest have now won just one of their last 10 EFL Cup matches against fellow top-flight teams, losing seven of those (D2).
Meanwhile, they have been eliminated in each of the last four when facing Premier League sides, with Oliver Glasner’s wait for a first competitive win in charge going on.
“It’s one of those mistakes that happen in games, but we’re here to try and help support our players,” captain Chris Wood said. “It’s frustrating, but we move and keep progressing.
“We know where we want to be, but we know we have to keep working hard on the training pitch because the games are coming thick and fast.
“We have to believe in what we’re trying to do and don’t shy away from it. We have to take it by the scruff of the neck and move forward.”
Leading up to kick-off, reports emerged that Liam Delap is closing in on a club-record £50m switch from Chelsea, having fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge.
Delap netted just three goals in 47 appearances across all competitions for the Blues, but Wood believes his addition adds quality to Forest’s attack.
“We’re an ambitious club and that shows with what we’re spending on players like him [Delap],” Wood added.
“It will be fantastic to get Liam through the door. Hopefully it gets all signed. He will be great for our team, and it is healthy competition, and we will be better players for it.”
