NafisaAnton Stach produced a stunning late free-kick to hand Leeds United all three points against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground — but Oliver Glasner has made it clear that he believes his side deserved far more from the opening-day contest.
It was an extremely tight game for long periods, with neither side able to consistently create clear-cut opportunities.
Leeds were disciplined and organised, while Forest struggled to turn their possession into the sort of chances that could seriously trouble Daniel Farke’s side.
As the minutes ticked away, a goalless draw increasingly looked like the most likely outcome.
Then Stach stepped up.
The Leeds midfielder produced a moment of brilliance from a free-kick to finally break the deadlock, sending the travelling supporters into wild celebrations and securing a priceless three points for Farke on the opening weekend.
It was the perfect competitive start for Leeds following their impressive pre-season and gives them early momentum as they settle back into Premier League life.
Forest, however, were left frustrated.
Glasner believes his side were the better team after the interval and feels Leeds ultimately escaped with a victory despite Forest creating the better opportunities.
The Nottingham Forest boss was particularly disappointed that his players failed to take advantage of their chances before Stach delivered the decisive blow.
“I felt in the second half we were the better team; we played the game in their half without having big chances.
“Credit to Leeds though, they defended very well, and they are very aggressive and very physical.
“But we had the best chances and two or three situations we could score from; we hit the post, and Chris Wood had a clear chance.
“We did not take our chances though, and in the end, the lucky punch came from Leeds.”
Glasner’s assessment will certainly leave Forest wondering what might have been.
His team did manage to put Leeds under pressure after the break and came close to finding the breakthrough, only for the final touch to evade them.
Leeds, meanwhile, deserve credit for refusing to lose their shape when Forest began to take control of the game.
And that is perhaps the biggest positive for Farke.
There will be plenty of matches throughout the Premier League season where Leeds will not dominate their opponents, create the most chances or necessarily look the better team for 90 minutes.
The ability to remain competitive and wait for an opportunity could prove just as important as playing attractive football.
Stach’s late free-kick demonstrated exactly that.
Leeds did not need a dominant performance to collect their first three points of the campaign. They needed resilience, concentration and one moment of outstanding quality.
They got all three.
The City Ground is also a notoriously difficult venue for visiting teams, making the result even more valuable for Farke.
Leeds’ away form was one of the areas that needed improvement heading into the new campaign, so leaving Nottingham with all three points will matter far more than whether Forest feel they deserved the victory.
Farke will obviously know there is plenty to improve.
But there is something hugely encouraging about winning a game that could easily have gone the other way.
For Leeds supporters, the message is simple: they will gladly take the points.
Forest can argue that they deserved more, Glasner can point to the missed chances and the post, and Stach’s goal can be labelled a “lucky punch”.
None of that changes the outcome.
Leeds have three points on the board — and that’s all that matters to Farke and his players.
Nafisa
