EPL · Aug 22, 2026
Leeds United beat Nottingham Forest on Stach's 88th-minute free kick
By Row Seventeen ·
Leeds United beat Nottingham Forest 1–0 (EPL) on August 22, 2026.
Leeds United beat Nottingham Forest 1–0 in the Premier League on August 22, 2026, after Anton Stach broke the deadlock with an 88th-minute free kick.
1–0FINAL
Key moments
Sources ↓- Opening
Trafford was called into action in the 17th minute, saving a header from Igor Jesus after the Forest forward met Ola Aina's long throw.
Read in context ↘ - Middle stages
After the restart, Wilson switched play to Brenden Aaronson, whose shot from distance forced Sels to make a save.
Read in context ↘ - Closing stages
Forest had the remaining minutes to seek an equalizer but did not find one. Leeds preserved their advantage through the final whistle.
Read in context ↘
Trafford saves and Wilson has a goal disallowed
Leeds United began their Premier League campaign at the City Ground with James Trafford, Tarik Muharemović and Harry Wilson making competitive debuts. Trafford was called into action in the 17th minute, saving a header from Igor Jesus after the Forest forward met Ola Aina's long throw.
At the other end, Wilson converted Jayden Bogle's cross in the 25th minute. His effort was disallowed for offside, however, so his finish did not give Leeds the opening goal.
Forest hit the post before halftime
Forest came close again in the 40th minute. Nikola Milenkovic flicked James McAtee's cross against the post, and Trafford then denied Igor Jesus. The post and the goalkeeper kept Forest from breaking the deadlock before a goalless interval.
Leeds made no halftime changes. After the restart, Wilson switched play to Brenden Aaronson, whose shot from distance forced Sels to make a save.
Second-half chances leave the teams level
Dominic Calvert-Lewin subsequently shot high and wide under pressure, and Stach sent a free kick beyond the far post. Forest also had another headed opportunity: in the 54th minute, Igor Jesus headed over from Aina's cross toward the back post.
After the hour, Morgan Gibbs-White volleyed off target following an Aina throw, while substitute Chris Wood shot wide. For Leeds, substitute Noah Okafor crossed for Muharemović, whose glancing header was gathered by Sels.
Stach supplies the late winner
With fewer than ten minutes of normal time remaining, Sean Longstaff replaced Aaronson. Stach then scored the decisive free kick in the 88th minute, securing Leeds' second successive opening-match victory.
Forest had the remaining minutes to seek an equalizer but did not find one. Leeds preserved their advantage through the final whistle.
Based on the match coverage and records linked below. Core match facts were checked against the linked source pages. This is an original, AI-assisted recap.
- Sky Sports: Nottingham Forest 0–1 Leeds match report
- Leeds United: Nottingham Forest 0–1 Leeds United
- Premier League: Saturday review, 22 August 2026
- Download the supporting facts and attribution
Published 2026-10-16. Game date shown above.
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