NafisaLeeds United may feel they were fortunate not to lose James Justin to injury after Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina escaped with a yellow card following a controversial challenge at the City Ground.
The Whites travelled to the Midlands hoping to make a positive start to their Premier League campaign, with Daniel Farke’s side facing a difficult opening test against an ambitious Forest team.
Aina’s challenge on Justin, however, quickly became one of the major talking points of the opening stages.
The Nigerian international appeared to catch the Leeds defender with a high challenge, leaving Justin in obvious discomfort on the pitch.
A yellow card was initially shown, before the incident was reviewed by VAR to determine whether the punishment should be upgraded to a red.
Leeds supporters were understandably hoping for the latter, particularly with their side knowing that facing ten men would have significantly changed the complexion of the game.
However, after the VAR check was completed, the original decision stood.
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean subsequently offered his assessment on Sky Sports News, explaining why he did not believe the challenge met the threshold for a sending-off.
“I think because he is low, he has missed the ball completely and his back leg has just caught the other guy. I don’t think it is a sending off.”
It was certainly a moment that could have gone either way.
Aina appeared to launch himself into the challenge with his leg raised, while Justin was left requiring attention after taking the impact.
The fact the incident was sent for a VAR review demonstrated just how close it was to the threshold for a more serious punishment.
Ultimately, Forest avoided being reduced to ten men and Aina remained on the pitch.
For Leeds, though, the biggest positive was arguably that Justin was able to continue.
The defender’s availability was particularly important for Farke given the problems already affecting his squad.
Gabriel Gudmundsson was unavailable because of injury, leaving Leeds short of established options in the defensive areas.
Youngster Jayden Lienou was among the options available from the bench, meaning losing another senior defender would have been a major blow.
Justin subsequently demonstrated exactly why his presence was so important.
With the game still goalless, Igor Jesus found himself in a promising position in the 55th minute, only for Justin to do enough to put the Forest forward under pressure and prevent him from producing a clean finish.
The Brazilian eventually sent his effort wide, with Justin’s intervention proving crucial.
Earlier in the match, Leeds had also thought they had taken the lead when Harry Wilson found the net in the 26th minute.
The celebrations were short-lived, however, with the goal ruled out for offside.
James Trafford was then forced into action at the other end, producing an excellent save to deny Igor Jesus as Forest began to threaten.
It meant the contest remained finely balanced, with neither side able to establish control during the opening half.
For Leeds, there will undoubtedly be frustration that Aina’s challenge was not upgraded to a red card, especially given the nature of the tackle and Justin’s immediate reaction.
But Farke will likely be far more concerned with the fact his defender escaped serious injury and remained available to help Leeds through what promises to be a demanding opening afternoon.
The incident also highlighted the fine margins involved with VAR decisions.
Had the challenge been judged differently, Forest would have faced the majority of the match with ten men.
Instead, Aina remained on the field after the review, leaving Leeds to continue their battle against a full-strength Forest side.
Nafisa
