Oliver Glasner's Challenging Debut as Nottingham Forest Coach

Oliver Glasner stepped out first. Before the players, before the noise truly swelled, Nottingham Forest’s new head coach emerged from the tunnel and paused on the edge of his technical area, taking in the City Ground. Fifth man in the job in under a year, first competitive game, fresh slate. It felt like a reset.

Ninety minutes later, the script had been ripped up.

With the game drifting towards a stalemate and the home stands already restless, Anton Stach took control of the evening. A clumsy foul by Nikola Milenkovic on the edge of the area handed Leeds a late free-kick and Stach, sensing the moment, whipped it viciously towards the near post.

Matz Sels read it, got something on it, but not enough. The Forest goalkeeper ended up tangled around his right upright, the ball in the net and the Leeds end exploding in noise behind him. A couple of minutes of normal time remained; Glasner’s debut was effectively done.

Forest will not have long to brood. Leeds return here on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup, a rapid-fire rematch and an immediate test of how quickly Glasner can steady his new side.

Leeds had earned the right to snatch it late. They were sharper, more cohesive, and carried the greater threat throughout a cagey contest that never quite caught fire. Clear chances were scarce, but when they arrived, they tended to fall in white shirts.

Harry Wilson thought he had introduced himself in style in the first half. The Wales international, whose signing underlines Leeds’s intent, darted on to a clever pass from Jayden Bogle and finished, only to see the assistant’s flag erase the moment. The celebration was brief, the warning for Forest less so.

After the interval, another of Leeds’s headline arrivals nearly made his mark. Tarik Muharemovic, a £34m recruit from Sassuolo, rose to meet a cross and seemed set to power a header into the top corner. Sels reacted superbly, flinging out a strong left hand to claw the ball away and keep Forest level.

Leeds kept coming. They squeezed the space, controlled the tempo and starved Forest of rhythm. Muharemovic, alongside Joe Rodon and Jaka Bijol in a three-man back line, looked immediately at home, reading danger and stepping in with authority.

Glasner, who had opted to leave fellow £34m signing Ousmane Diomande and midfielder Xaver Schlager out of his starting XI, could only puff out his cheeks as every Leeds outfielder sprinted to join Stach by the corner flag after the winner. By the time the final whistle went, the away end was bathed in evening sun and delight. Large pockets of red seats told their own story elsewhere.

Forest’s attacking moments arrived in flashes rather than waves. Late in the first half, Neco Williams darted into the box to meet an inviting cross from Ola Aina on the right, drawing applause from Glasner as much for the intent as the execution. From the resulting phase, James McAtee recycled the ball and swung in another cross, Milenkovic and Jair Cunha combining to send a header against James Trafford’s post.

That near miss was as close as Forest came. Trafford, on his competitive bow for Leeds, spent most of the afternoon largely untroubled, protected by the organisation in front of him and Forest’s lack of incision.

Leeds, by contrast, left with exactly what they came for: a statement away win, a clean sheet, and the feeling of a team already in tune with its new faces. Forest left with a late punch to the gut, a new manager, and a blunt reminder that fresh starts only count if they come with points.