Anton Stach fired home a late free-kick to give his side all three points and a first win for Leeds over Nottingham Forrest since 1970.
Nottingham Forrest 0-1 Leeds United: Late Stach free kick secures win for Farke's side
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - AUGUST 22: Anton Stach of Leeds United celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Nottingham Forest FC and Leeds United at City Ground on August 22, 2026 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Leeds United kicked off their 2026/27 Premier League season with a hard-fought 1-0 away win to Nottingham Forrest as **Daniel Farke'**s side got off to the perfect start.
A game largely contested physically in the middle of the pitch, a moment of quality from a Stach free-kick proved enough to earn Leeds all three points. For Farke's side, they have momentum to build on, while Oliver Glasner has a few points to reflect on heading into their next game against Tottenham Hotspur.
Story of the Match
Oliver Glasner opted to go without any of his summer signings for the first game of the season, lining up in a 3-4-2-1 that included Ibrahim Sangaré and James McAtee in the middle of the park, with Morgan Gibbs-White and Dan Ndoye playing in behind Igor Jesus.
Daniel Farke handed league debuts to Harry Wilson, Tarik Muharemović and James Trafford as Leeds set out in their trademark 3-4-2-1 under the German. Anton Stach and Ethan Ampadu lined up in the middle of the park, with James Justin and Jayden Bogle as attacking full-backs.
Nottingham Forrest 0-1 Leeds United: Late Stach free kick secures win for Farke's side
Nottingham Forrest 0-1 Leeds United: Late Stach free kick secures win for Farke's side
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - AUGUST 22: Oliver Glasner, Manager of Nottingham Forest looks on during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Nottingham Forest FC and Leeds United at City Ground on August 22, 2026 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
The opening 10 minutes consisted of both sides trying to settle on the ball, but neither side managed to create an opening. Leeds were the more dominant side in possession, with Forrest only managing to break up long spells of possession through fouls, mostly in the middle of the pitch.
The first chance of the game came via a long through from Ola Aina, which saw Jesus force a good save from Trafford after a powerful header. Aina picked up the first yellow card of the game in the 17th minute after a bad challenge on Justin, and was lucky to escape a straight red after VAR deemed the challenge worthy of a yellow card only.
A few minutes later it was Leeds’ turn to launch a long throw-in into the box via Ampadu, which resulted in a scramble inside the box and the first corner of the game being awarded to the away side.
Harry Wilson thought he had given his side the lead in the 25th minute, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside after great build-up play involving Brenden Aaronson and Jayden Bogle down Leeds’ right-hand side.
Igor Jesus hit the crossbar in the 39th minute after a great cross from McAtee following another goalmouth scramble as both sides went into the break level at 0-0.
Nottingham Forrest 0-1 Leeds United: Late Stach free kick secures win for Farke's side
Nottingham Forrest 0-1 Leeds United: Late Stach free kick secures win for Farke's side
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - AUGUST 22: Harry Wilson of Leeds United celebrates scoring his team’s first goal, which was later disallowed for offside during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Nottingham Forest FC and Leeds United at City Ground on August 22, 2026 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Second Half
Neither side made any changes as the second half got underway at The City Ground. Brenden Aaronson forced a good save from Matz Sels barely two minutes into the half as the American cut inside from the left-hand side and let fly from the edge of the box.
The American was at the centre of the action yet again, showing dogged determination to win the ball off Nikola Milenkovic to drive towards the Forrest box, only to be brought down by Jair Cunha, who was shown a yellow card in the 51st minute.
Igore Jesus wasted yet another chance to open the scoring for Forrest, this time heading wide in the 55th minute after a good ball in from Aina. Forrest made the first substitution of the game in the 61st minute, with former Leeds man Chris Wood replacing Ndoye. The New Zealand international had his first shot on goal three minutes later, dragging his shot wide of the post.
Daniel Farke responded with a substitution of his own, bringing on Noah Okafor in place of wilson in the 65th minute, which saw him swap flanks with Aaronson, who lined up on the right hand side. Okafor swung in a dangerous cross that was met by Muharemovic, forcing a great save from Sels in the 69th minute to keep the game level.
Nottingham Forrest 0-1 Leeds United: Late Stach free kick secures win for Farke's side
Nottingham Forrest 0-1 Leeds United: Late Stach free kick secures win for Farke's side
Nottingham Forest's Murillo (left) and Leeds United's Brenden Aaronson battle for the ball during the Premier League match at the City Ground, Nottingham. Picture date: Saturday August 22, 2026. (Photo by Bruce Rollinson/PA Images via Getty Images)
Stach wins it
Forrest brought off Aina and McAtee for new signing Xaver Schlager and Luca Netz in the 74th minute as both sides continued to push for an opener. Leeds made another substitution in the 81st minute, bringing on Sean Longstaff in place of Brenden Aaronson as Farke's side switched to five at the back.
Anton Stach won himself a free kick on the edge of the Forrest box in the 87th minute after colliding with Milenkovic. The German stepped up to fire an effort towards goal that beat Selz, who could only get a hand to the shot as it hit the back of the net. Murillo was replaced by Arnaud Kalimuendo with 30 seconds of the game remaining.
Nottingham Forrest 0-1 Leeds United: Late Stach free kick secures win for Farke's side
Nottingham Forrest 0-1 Leeds United: Late Stach free kick secures win for Farke's side
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - AUGUST 22: Anton Stach of Leeds United celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Nottingham Forest FC and Leeds United at City Ground on August 22, 2026 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Player Of The Match - Anton Stach
In a game that was largely contested in the middle of the park, Stach was consistent throughout, putting in a solid shift to keep his side in the game - with the German stepping up when his side needed him most to score the winner and get Leeds off to the perfect start in the 2026/27 Premier League season.
Nottingham Forrest 0-1 Leeds United: Late Stach free kick secures win for Farke's side
Nottingham Forrest 0-1 Leeds United: Late Stach free kick secures win for Farke's side
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - AUGUST 22: Anton Stach of Leeds United celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Nottingham Forest FC and Leeds United at City Ground on August 22, 2026 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)