Nottingham Forest had enough chances to win their opening Premier League game. They just didn’t take them.
Instead, Oliver Glasner’s first competitive match in charge ended in a 1-0 defeat, with Anton Stach producing a late free-kick to give Leeds United all three points at the City Ground.
It was harsh on Nottingham Forest. For much of the afternoon, they looked the more threatening side and James Trafford had to make sure Leeds stayed in the game.
Forest’s first real opening came after 17 minutes. Ola Aina’s long throw caused problems and Igor Jesus got on the end of it, but his header was pushed away by Trafford.
The Leeds goalkeeper was called into action again before the break, although Forest’s best opportunity was one he couldn’t do anything about.
Milenkovic denied by the post
Nottingham Forest thought they had found the breakthrough in the 41st minute. Nikola Milenkovic got a strong connection on his header but saw the ball come back off the post. Igor Jesus was there for the rebound but the Brazilian couldn’t react quickly enough to turn it home.
Milkenovic’s chance was the closest any side came close to scoring.
Leeds had a goal disallowed for Offside when Harry Wilson finished into the back of net but the flag went up for an offside.
Forest continued to push after the break and were close with another Igor Jesus chance. The Brazilian forward found himself at the back post, only to head wide. That chance Forest would certainly look back on.
Leeds United had an opening of their own when Tarik Muharemovic rose to meet a cross, but Matz Sels got across to tip the header away. Sel’s save kept the game level and a draw seemed coming before late drama resulted in a loss for Nottingham Forest.
Stach settles it for Leeds United with two minutes to go
With the clock approaching 90 minutes, Leeds won a free-kick just outside the area. Leeds’ Stach stood on the ball. The Leeds midfielder whipped the ball towards the near post and Sels couldn’t get enough on it to keep the effort out. The goalkeeper had been largely a spectator for long spells, but there was little he could do this time.
Forest had no real chance to recover.
It’s a frustrating result for Oliver Glasner in his first game as his side had done plenty right. They created the better chances, pressed Leeds back for periods and hit the post. While Trafford was also one of the reasons Forest didn’t have a goal of their own, the result doesn’t care about that.
Leeds leave the City Ground with three points, while Forest are left wondering how they failed to score from the opportunities they created.
