By Rasaq Oboirien
Super Eagles rave of the moment in the Premier League, Taiwo Awoniyi has given credit to Nottingham Forest coaching staff and his teammates for his red-hot form, after he scored a brace in Saturday’s 4-goal thriller against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Awoniyi gave Forest the lead when he rose highest to head in from Renan Lodi’s cross on 13 minutes, but The Reds found themselves behind early in the second half when a quickfire Raheem Sterling brace turned the game on its head.
Forest fought back and found a rapid response, with Awoniyi on hand to convert Orel Mangala’s cross for the equaliser and his fourth goal in two games.
The Nigerian said after the game, “I think it was a hard game, but kudos to the coaching staff and the whole team for sticking to the plan we came up with.
“For us to leave with a point is something we’re obviously very happy about. It could be the most important point for us, who knows?”
“It was a great ball from Renan for the first goal.
“In training he put a similar cross in and I didn’t score, so he said to me “in the game, you have to score”, so I said, “okay, I will”.
“I have to thank the manager too. I had a similar chance against Brentford and he sat me down and spoke to me about what to do, and thankfully it worked at Stamford Bridge.
“This is what makes a team, this is what makes you better, when you have someone who gives you the chance to understand the game more and what you need to do better.”
“The second goal is also part of the coaches’ work. They came up with the idea of the throw-ins and we have created many chances from this.
“It was something special from Moussa, but also from Orel as well, and as a striker, you have to be ready for anything in the box.”