Awoniyi hits milestone after destroying Chelsea at stamford bridge

Taiwo Awoniyi marked his 100th appearance for Nottingham Forest in spectacular fashion, netting a brilliant brace to inspire his side to a dominant 3-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Manager Vitor Pereira rotated his squad ahead of Thursday's crucial Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa, and Awoniyi was handed a rare starting opportunity.

The Nigerian striker seized the moment, delivering his most clinical performance of the season to dismantle the Blues on their own turf.

Awoniyi opened the scoring with a powerful, clinical header, getting on the end of a precise cross from Dilane Bakwa. He remained a constant menace to the Chelsea backline and soon won a penalty, which teammate Jesus confidently converted to double the visitors' lead.

The Super Eagles forward then put the game entirely out of reach by grabbing his second of the afternoon. Timing his run perfectly, he met an accurate square ball from Morgan Gibbs-White to tap home from close range.

This was Awoniyi’s first brace for Nottingham Forest since May 2023, a fixture that, incredibly, also came against Chelsea. The striker has once again proven his uncanny ability to find his best form during the high-stakes run-in of a campaign.

The victory moves Nottingham Forest up to 16th in the Premier League table, sitting on 42 points with three matches remaining.

They are now six points clear of the drop zone and have all but mathematically secured their top-flight survival, allowing them to turn their full attention to European glory.