Nottingham Forest vs Leeds: A Tough Start for Oliver Glasner

Oliver Glasner stepped out first. Before a ball was kicked, before the noise properly swelled, Nottingham Forest’s new head coach – their fifth in less than a year – walked into the light of the City Ground technical area and took it all in. New season, new man, new promises.

The ending felt painfully familiar.

With the game drifting towards a stalemate and Glasner’s debut heading for a solid if unspectacular point, Anton Stach bent the afternoon to his will. A clumsy foul by Nikola Milenkovic on the edge of the area handed Leeds one last look at goal. Stach seized it.

He whipped his free-kick towards the near post, Matz Sels scrambled across, got a glove to it, and then crashed into his right upright as the ball squirmed in. Behind him, the Leeds end exploded, white shirts and yellow flags bouncing in the late sun. Forest’s new era had its first bruise.

Leeds had carried the greater threat for most of a tight, cagey contest. They controlled the tempo, squeezed the space and forced Forest into feeding off scraps. When the chances came, they tended to fall to the visitors.

In the first half, Harry Wilson thought he had marked his debut with a goal, racing on to Jayden Bogle’s clever pass and finishing, only to see the assistant’s flag halt his celebrations. The offside call cut short what would have been a perfect introduction for a signing that underlines Leeds’s intent.

After the break, another newcomer almost stole the headlines. Tarik Muharemovic, a £34m signing from Sassuolo, rose to meet a cross and seemed set to thunder a header into the top corner. Sels read it superbly, throwing up a strong left hand to claw the ball away and keep Forest level – for a while.

Glasner, who had opted not to start fellow £34m recruit Ousmane Diomande or midfielder Xaver Schlager, could only puff out his cheeks as every outfield Leeds player sprinted to mob Stach near the corner flag after the late winner. By the time the final whistle went, the away end was still singing, bathed in golden light. Large swathes of the home seats were already empty.

Leeds had earned that celebration. They restricted Forest to flashes rather than sustained pressure, turning what was billed as a fresh dawn on the Trent into an underwhelming opener for the hosts. Muharemovic impressed at the other end too, looking assured alongside Joe Rodon and Jaka Bijol in a three-man defence that rarely looked rattled.

Forest’s best spell came just before the interval. Ola Aina swung in a cross from the right, Neco Williams met it and Glasner applauded on the touchline, sensing a shift. The move stayed alive, James McAtee recycling the ball and hanging up another delivery. Milenkovic and Jair Cunha both attacked it, the ball thudding against James Trafford’s post with the Leeds goalkeeper finally beaten – but not punished.

That near-miss was as close as Forest came. Trafford spent most of the game largely untroubled, his crossbar and posts working harder than his gloves.

For Glasner, the script for his first competitive game in charge was ripped up in the 88th minute by a single swing of Stach’s right boot. Forest will not have long to dwell on it. Leeds return here on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup.

Same teams. Same ground. A very different mood on the home bench already.