Leeds United snatched a dramatic late win at the City Ground, edging past Nottingham Forest 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time set-piece strike that settled an otherwise tightly contested opening-day encounter.

The decisive moment arrived deep into the second half, in the 88th minute, when Anton Stach found the back of the net directly from a free kick, breaking the deadlock and ultimately proving to be the only goal of the match.

Forest will have plenty of frustration to reflect on, particularly around the 25th minute, when a goal from Harry Wilson was ruled out following review, denying the hosts what looked to be a valid opener.

Nikola Milenković also came close to breaking the deadlock, striking the woodwork in the 41st minute as Forest pushed for an early breakthrough that never materialized.

Despite Forest controlling the majority of possession at 56% compared to Leeds’ 44%, and edging the visitors in total shots 12 to 11, they were unable to convert their territorial advantage into a goal.

Leeds, meanwhile, showed defensive discipline throughout, winning 19 tackles compared to Forest’s 9, a physical approach that also led to a high foul count on both sides, with 15 committed by Forest and 14 by Leeds.

The match saw its share of ill discipline too, with Ola Aina, Domenic Calvert-Lewin, and Jair Cunha all picking up yellow cards across the ninety minutes.

Both managers rotated their squads heavily in the second half in search of a breakthrough, but it was Leeds who found the crucial moment late on to secure a valuable three points away from home to start their campaign.