Anton Stach’s stunning late free-kick snatched all three points for Leeds at the City Ground, handing new Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner defeat in his first Premier League game in charge. With the contest drifting toward a goalless draw, Stach’s long-range effort caught Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels completely off guard, sneaking in at the near post in the 88th minute.
A Game Defined by Set Pieces
Fittingly, given how the match was ultimately decided, the majority of the game’s clearest chances also came from dead-ball situations. Igor Jesus was the main culprit for missed opportunities, first seeing a header well saved by James Trafford in the first half before nodding a good second-half chance over the bar just minutes after the restart. Substitute Chris Wood also dragged a promising opening wide for Forest later in the game.
At the other end, Sels produced the save of the match, clawing out a goalbound header from Tarik Muharemovic to keep the scores level only to be beaten by Stach’s free-kick shortly afterward, turning from hero to villain in the space of 19 minutes.
Key Moments From the City Ground
Forest had an early let-off when Ola Aina escaped with only a yellow card following a VAR review for a lunge on James Justin. Harry Wilson thought he’d given Forest the lead in the 25th minute, tapping home Jayden Bogle’s cross, but the goal was correctly ruled out for offside with replays showing he’d taken the ball off an onside Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who had a simple finish of his own on. Calvert-Lewin himself was shown a yellow card seven minutes later following a VAR review for a high challenge on James McAtee, with the incident deemed reckless rather than warranting a more serious sanction.
Forest continued to create the better chances as the half progressed Nikola Milenkovic flicked a McAtee cross against the far post before Trafford denied Igor Jesus from close range moments later. Leeds didn’t register their first shot on target until the 47th minute, when Brenden Aaronson cut inside only to be denied by Sels. Jesus and Wood both spurned further good opportunities for Forest in the second half, before Muharemovic’s header was brilliantly kept out by Sels setting the stage for Stach’s decisive intervention in the closing minutes.
What It Means
The result leaves Glasner’s Forest tenure beginning with immediate disappointment, dropping the club into the bottom half of an early Premier League table after one round of fixtures. Leeds, by contrast, sit level on points with several other early pace-setters following an opening-day win, with Arsenal, Everton, Hull and Ipswich also picking up victories in the season’s first round of matches.
Match Stats: Nottm Forest 0-1 Leeds
- Shots: Forest 12 — Leeds 11
- Shots on target: Forest 2 — Leeds 3
- Possession: Forest 55.2% — Leeds 44.8%
- Successful passes: Forest 307 — Leeds 231
- Corners won: Forest 3 — Leeds 2
Quick Facts: Nottm Forest 0-1 Leeds
- Scorer: Anton Stach (88′, free-kick)
- Disallowed goal: Harry Wilson (25′, offside)
- Booked: Ola Aina, Dominic Calvert-Lewin
- Save of the match: Matz Sels (69′, denying Muharemovic)
- Result significance: Oliver Glasner’s first Premier League defeat as Forest boss
