Nottingham Forest dedicated Sunday’s crucial Premier League victory over West Ham United to Super Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi, who is currently hospitalized and recuperating after undergoing an abdominal surgery Footynaija.com reports.
Forest went into their first game since Awoniyi’s horror injury against Leicester City needing to secure all three points at the London Stadium to ensure they remain in contention for Champions League qualification ahead of next season.
With European football at stake, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side rose to the occasion in superb fashion with skipper Morgan Gibbs-White and defender Nikola Milenkovic scoring on either side of half time to seal a vital victory despite Jarod Bowen pulling one back for hosts.
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In a display of solidarity, Gibbs-White celebrated his opener by lifting up Awoniyi’s shirt before kissing it. The Forest captain later went on to reveal after the game that Awoniyi’s fighting spirit was a huge motivation for the team throughout the match.
Before the game, Nottingham Forest showed their support for the recovering Awoniyi as his teammates did their warm-ups in white shirts that had the phrase “We’re all with you, Taiwo” boldly printed on the front.
After securing a vital victory, the Tricky Trees followed up their pre-match gesture by posting a picture of the whole squad holding up Awoniyi’s number 9 shirt with a heartfelt caption “This one’s for you T” via the club’s official X account.
As the 27-year- old striker continues to recover, his teammates will now turn their focus to preparations for a must-win final game of the season against fellow Champions League hopefuls Chelsea next Sunday.
A win for Forest would see them leapfrog the Blues on the Premier League standings. However, they could still finish outside of the three available Champions League spots depending on the final day results of Manchester City, Newcastle United and Aston Villa.
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