The new employee training program was expected to reduce the number of workplace safety incidents within its first year. ______, incident…

The second sentence reports an outcome that ran directly opposite to what was expected in the first sentence, a rise in incidents instead of the hoped-for reduction, and contrary to expectations names that reversal precisely. As anticipated would mean the outcome matched the prediction, the opposite of what happened. Similarly would suggest agreement between the two sentences, but a rise and an expected reduction are opposites. In addition would frame the second sentence as a separate, compatible point instead of a direct contradiction of the first.