Anton Stach produced a moment of magic from a free-kick to earn Leeds United all three points against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on the opening weekend.
It was a closely fought game for most of the afternoon, with neither side creating many clear-cut chances. Just when it looked like the match was heading towards a goalless draw, Stach stepped up with a superb late strike to send Leeds home with a valuable victory.
It is the perfect start to the new Premier League campaign for Daniel Farke’s side and keeps the momentum from their impressive pre-season going.
Forest will be disappointed to lose at home after matching Leeds for much of the game. But ultimately, one moment of quality from Stach was enough to settle a contest that looked destined to finish all square.
Read More: Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner aims ‘lucky’ dig at Leeds United
Paul Merson left unimpressed by Leeds United signing
While Leeds were jubilant after the win, Paul Merson was not really impressed with the performance and believes the away side were nothing more than average.
He believes both the Whites and Forest were not great today, even though the latter deserved to win instead of Daniel Farke’s side.
The former Arsenal star insisted that they are not going to be any better than bottom-half teams who will just about survive in the Premier League.
Merson said on Soccer Saturday: “Watching that today, I don’t think Forest deserved to lose to Leeds.
“Yes, Forest were not great either, and I don’t think you could say Leeds robbed them; they were alright.
“I think there is something missing for both teams. I think they’ll both be solid this season.
“At the end of the season I only see three or four points between these two teams on the table. Probably about average in the bottom half.
“I think both teams will be alright, but this league can be ruthless. They won’t be pulling up any trees this season playing like that.”
Read More: Ex-Nottingham Forest star makes blunt Leeds admission after 1-0 defeat: “Leeds were fortunate…”
Merson is discounting Leeds United’s resilience
Leeds left the City Ground in high spirits after securing all three points in their opening Premier League game of the season.
It was not their best performance, but that almost makes the victory even more encouraging. Leeds showed plenty of resilience to stay in the game away from home and eventually found a way to win through Anton Stach’s brilliant free-kick.
The City Ground is a difficult place for any Premier League side to visit, and Leeds will not be able to dominate every away game or play their best football every week.
What matters is that they showed the character to grind out a result when things were not going their way. Having a player like Stach who can produce a moment of quality could prove hugely valuable in games where Leeds have to fight for every point.
Do we have to continue to read what some of these bitter, biased clowns keep serving up?
No we don’t, but we can be sure of what his future holds
in the coming seasons though!
Merson is a total plank. Being an ex player doesn’t mean that you are qualified to comment. This is the first game of the season with a bunch of players just getting used to each other. Absolutely no guide to where either will finish, unless he also wants to claim that Man Utd and Spurs will finish in the bottom half because of their shite performances today. Shut up Numpty !!!!!