Oliver Glasner has endured another difficult night as Nottingham Forest manager after Leeds United returned to the City Ground and secured a second victory over Forest in just a few days.
Leeds followed their 1-0 Premier League victory on Saturday with a 2-0 Carabao Cup win on Tuesday, leaving Forest knocked out of the competition and Glasner facing another wave of questions.
The latest defeat was particularly frustrating because Forest had been given an immediate opportunity to respond to the weekend disappointment. Instead, Leeds once again came out on top.
Glasner’s ‘Toxic’ Claim
The atmosphere inside the City Ground became increasingly tense as Forest struggled to break through a disciplined Leeds defence, while the travelling supporters celebrated another victory over their hosts.
It was the behaviour and chanting from the Leeds section that reportedly angered Glasner after the match. The Forest boss criticised the visiting supporters and described their behaviour as “toxic” , adding another controversial element to an already heated fixture.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Glasner did not hold back.
“The behaviour from their supporters was unacceptable. The chanting, the abuse it crossed a line. That’s not football. That’s toxic. I’ve been in this game long enough to know the difference between passion and hatred.”
The reaction from the Leeds faithful is likely to be strong, particularly after their team had completed a remarkable double over Forest within the space of just a few days.
The Chant That Sparked It All
According to sources inside the stadium, the moment that pushed Glasner over the edge came when Leeds supporters broke into a provocative chant aimed directly at the Forest bench, sung to the tune of a classic terrace anthem:
🎵 “We beat you Saturday, we beat you Tuesday,
We own this town, we own this city,
Glasner’s red and white army bottled it again!” 🎵
The chant, which echoed around the City Ground as Leeds cruised to victory, reportedly infuriated the Austrian coach, who felt the taunting crossed from banter into disrespect.
Another chant that drew his ire was:
🎵 “Two in four days, you’re still not safe,
We own the Forest, we own the place!” 🎵
A reference to Forest’s ongoing Premier League survival struggles and Leeds’ dominance over them, the chant clearly struck a nerve with Glasner, who has repeatedly urged fans to be patient with his project.
One source close to the Forest boss revealed:
“Olly was already fuming about the result. But those chants pushed him over the edge. He felt it was personal not just banter. That’s why he lashed out in the press conference.”
Tactical Fallout
The rivalry had already intensified following Saturday’s Premier League encounter, when Anton Stach scored a dramatic late free-kick to give Leeds a 1-0 victory. Forest therefore entered the Carabao Cup meeting determined to respond.
Instead, Leeds delivered another blow.
Dan James put Leeds ahead after the break before James Justin added another goal, ensuring Daniel Farke’s side progressed to the next round. Forest have now lost two games to Leeds in four days without scoring a single goal.
Defender Neco Williams had previously maintained a sense of perspective, telling the BBC: “Hopefully that was the worst from us today, even though there were still positives to take from it.” But after last night’s repeat performance, patience appears to have run out.
Dressing Room Tension
The defeat comes just days after The Telegraph revealed that Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White had launched a brutal dressing room tirade at teammates, accusing some players of a “losers’ mentality” and lacking the hunger required to compete.
One source revealed:
“Morgs has been biting his tongue for weeks. He believes this squad is good enough to compete, but too many players are accepting mediocrity. The Leeds defeat just pushed him over the edge.”
Glasner now faces the challenge of uniting a fractured dressing room while also dealing with the fallout from his comments about the Leeds supporters.
Glasner’s Position
For Glasner, the result represents a difficult beginning to his time at Forest. The manager has already acknowledged that his squad needs time to develop and has urged supporters to understand that there is no immediate solution to the club’s problems.
He has stressed that there is “no magician, no Messiah” who can instantly transform the team. That message has become particularly important after consecutive defeats to the same opponent.
Forest now need to find a response quickly, while Glasner must prevent frustration from spreading around the squad. The comments surrounding the Leeds supporters have also ensured that the manager’s post-match reaction will attract almost as much attention as the result itself.
Social Media Reaction
Unsurprisingly, Leeds fans were quick to hit back at Glasner’s comments on social media.
One fan tweeted: “Toxic? We’re celebrating a double over you in four days. Maybe focus on your own team instead of blaming supporters.”
Another wrote: “We own you! 🎵 Glasner’s rattled. Love to see it.”
But some Forest fans agreed with their manager, with one posting: “Some of those chants were out of order. He’s got a point.”
The Bigger Picture
Leeds fans can point to the fact that their team has done the talking on the pitch, winning both meetings and keeping two clean sheets. Forest supporters, meanwhile, will expect their team to show a stronger response in the coming fixtures.
For Glasner, the priority remains football. He must now analyse what went wrong, rebuild confidence within his squad and ensure that the disappointment of losing twice to Leeds does not affect the remainder of the campaign.
The Carabao Cup defeat may have ended Forest’s involvement in the competition, but it has also created another significant talking point around Glasner.
Two defeats. Two clean sheets for Leeds. And now a fiery reaction from the Forest boss regarding the visiting supporters.
What happens next could determine whether this remains an early-season setback or develops into a much bigger problem for Glasner and Nottingham Forest.
