Stach's late strike settles tight opener

Anton Stach curled in an 88th-minute free-kick to give Leeds United a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest on the opening day of the Premier League season. The result delivered Leeds their first victory at the City Ground since 1972, as reported by multiple outlets including the BBC, breakingnews.ie, and The Independent.

The match was goalless at half-time, with Forest creating the better chances but failing to convert. Nikola Milenkovic hit a post from James McAtee's delivery, and Igor Jesus wasted two headers, according to The Independent and breakingnews.ie. Harry Wilson, making his Leeds debut, had a goal disallowed for offside in the 25th minute.

Matz Sels made a flying save to keep out Tarik Muharemovic's header, while Chris Wood came off the bench and missed a chance after a Murillo through ball, as detailed by breakingnews.ie and The Independent.

Glasner's first competitive match ends in disappointment

Oliver Glasner, Forest's fifth head coach in less than 12 months, saw his first competitive match in charge end in defeat. The Guardian noted the "new dawn" did not go to plan, with Stach's free-kick sneaking in at Sels's near post after Milenkovic made a clumsy challenge on the edge of the area.

Glasner had predicted set-pieces would be key, and so it proved. After the match, he acknowledged it will take time to get Forest where he wants them. "There is no button to press," he said, adding that the team worked hard, especially in the second half, and did enough to win but one set-piece decided it.

He explained his team selection, leaving summer signings Ousmane Diomande and Xaver Schlager on the bench. "Diomande arrived very late, and we had this issue before in that we know he's not in his best physical shape. Murillo also isn't fully fit, so I didn't want to start both," Glasner said. James McAtee started in midfield as reward for the best pre-season form.

Nottinghamshire Live reported that Morgan Gibbs-White moved into a more central position around 30 minutes in, increasing Forest's tempo, and that Glasner was animated on the touchline, instructing players to use width. Ola Aina was key in attack and defence, but his crosses were not converted, and Forest's midfield was exposed with gaps in the first half.

Leeds' improved fortunes and new signings

Leeds finished 14th last season, eight points clear of relegation, but their campaign started poorly with only three wins from their opening 13 games. A tactical switch to 3-5-2 in November turned their season around, and they lost only five times for the remainder of the campaign, as reported by the BBC.

Farke had threatened to quit if the club did not match his ambition, and Leeds invested about £80m in new signings. Three of them started: James Trafford, Tarik Muharemovic, and Harry Wilson.

Trafford, a £45m record signing for a British goalkeeper, kept a clean sheet on debut. Chris Sutton, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, called him an "upgrade" for Leeds, praising his composure and confidence. Sutton also described Stach's goal as a "moment of magic." WhoScored gave Trafford a 7.1 rating, according to GIVEMESPORT.

Harry Wilson, who signed for free after 10 goals and 7 assists for Fulham last season, had a debut goal disallowed. Paul Merson, quoted by South Wales Echo, said Wilson "did all right, he wasn't great," but is a good signing on a free.

Farke was happy with all debutants, including Muharemovic, who tested Sels with a towering header. "Very happy. Especially an away win at a very difficult ground, and a tight game. A clean sheet, too," Farke said, as reported by GIVEMESPORT.

Looking ahead

Leeds and Forest have a Carabao Cup rematch on Tuesday, and Glasner said he does not expect any new signings before then. Forest are targeting a striker and a right-back before the window closes, with Liam Delap a target with a £40-50m price tag, according to Nottinghamshire Live.

Nuno Espírito Santo was in charge when Forest beat Brentford 3-1 in their opening game last season, a result that did not prevent a relegation battle and a run of four managers in a year, as noted by Nottinghamshire Live and The Guardian.

Forest's defeat was described by some national media as a "dreadful opening-day affair" and a "scrap" warning, while The Independent called the win "smash-and-grab," as compiled by Nottinghamshire Live.