Leeds United begun the new Premier League season with a late win at Nottingham Forest. (Image: Bruce Rollinson/PA Wire)
Leeds United begun the new Premier League season with a late win at Nottingham Forest. (Image: Bruce Rollinson/PA Wire)
DOGGED Leeds United got their Premier League season up and running by snatching a late win at Nottingham Forest.
A scrappy game was drifting towards a goal-less draw when free-kick specialist Anton Stach whipped a curling shot past goalkeeper Mat Sels with two minutes remaining.
A draw would have been a decent result for Leeds who only won two PL games on the road all last season but Stach’s goal gave Leeds their first top flight win at the City Ground since the 1971-72 season.
Both sides lined up in 4-3-2-1 formation and largely cancelled each other out in a disappointing spectacle in which defences were dominant.
For Leeds, their trio of centre-backs - Joe Rodon, Jaka Bijol and Tarik Muharemovic – were solid with debutant goalkeeper James Trafford a calming presence in goal.
Leeds settled into the game quicker than their hosts but needed a flying save from Trafford to deny Igor Jesus’ header from Aina’s long throw.
Daniel Farke’s men responded with a slick move which ended with Harry Wilson side-footing in Jayden Bogle’s cross only to be denied a debut goal by a linesman’s flag.
Forest came on strong after that and Nikola Milenkovic’s header came back off a post after a big scramble in the Leeds box.
The second-half saw Forest, under the guidance of manager Oliver Glasner for the first time, largely on the front foot as Morgan Gibbs-White came more into the game but the hosts lacked a cutting edge.
Chances at both ends were at a premium but Igor Jesus headed a good opportunity wide. Shortly afterwards he was replaced by former Leeds striker Chris Wood but he too missed a great opportunity when he screwed a shot wide after a defence splitting pass by Murillo.
United were unable to get Dominic Calvert-Lewin into the game but Muharemovic forced a brilliant save from Sels who clawed his goal-bound header away from the top corner.
As the game drifted towards its conclusion, Stach was clattered by Milenkovic and the German midfielder picked himself up to produced a piece a quality the match had been badly missing, sending the ball over Forest’s two-man wall and past Sels, to send the away end into raptures.
In a season which kicked off with nine managerial changes Leeds have gone for continuity. Farke remains at the helm and he fielded the same starting XI which kicked off their final friendly win against Augsburg.
That may help them at the start of the season as other bosses take more time to impose their patterns of play on their squads
Happy Farke said: “There can’t be a better way to start the new season, the first game and a first three points, especially away at a very, very difficult ground in a very competitive tight game. Also, a first clean sheet under our belts with several new signings on the pitch.”
Forest and Leeds face each other again on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup at the City Ground.