Stach's Late Free-Kick Sinks Forest on Glasner's Debut

Anton Stach curled a late free-kick past Matz Sels to give Leeds United a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest, ruining Oliver Glasner's first competitive match as head coach. The goal came in the final minutes of normal time, leaving the City Ground in stunned silence.

The decisive moment arrived when Forest defender Nikola Milenkovic made a clumsy challenge on Stach on the edge of the penalty area — a foul the German midfielder punished himself. Sels got a glove to the free-kick but could not keep it out at the near post. It was not Stach's first piece of set-piece magic in a Leeds shirt; he previously scored a sensational 40-yard free-kick against Aston Villa, and struck a fierce effort past Finn Dahmen in a 4-0 pre-season win over Augsburg (Leeds United). Signed for a modest £6 million, Stach now has five goals and three assists from 29 Premier League appearances.

For Forest, the defeat was a harsh introduction for Glasner, who became the club's fifth head coach in under twelve months. He chose not to start Ousmane Diomande, a £34 million arrival from Sporting, or fellow debutant Xaver Schlager, who instead came on as a substitute (The Guardian). The Austrian coach now has little time to find his feet before Tuesday's Carabao Cup rematch at Elland Road.

Leeds, meanwhile, will feel momentum building under Daniel Farke. Captain Ethan Ampadu anchored midfield alongside Stach, while £34 million signing Tarik Muharemovic — brought in from Sassuolo — made his debut. Winger Harry Wilson thought he had marked his first appearance with a goal in the first half, only for the offside flag to cut the celebration short. Wilson was replaced by Stefan Okafor in the 66th minute (Nottingham Forest).

Going into the match, the table had Leeds 14th and Forest 16th — early-season positioning that barely hints at how thin the margin was between the two sides on the pitch.

For Leeds fans, a £6 million midfielder who keeps delivering from dead-ball situations looks like one of the bargains of the window. For Forest, a fifth manager in a year and a late goal conceded at home is a sobering start to a new era that needs to take hold quickly.