Opposite of "followed" (3)
I believe the answer is:
led
'opposite of followed' is the definition.
('lead' is the opposite to 'follow')
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for led that I've seen before include "Paved the way" , "Went at the head of others" , "Shown the way" , "Went first to show the way" , "Went in advance of others" .)