Chelsea vs Ntt'm Forest: Taiwo Awoniyi highlights people responsible for beating Blues

Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi deflected praise to his teammates and the club’s backroom staff after marking his 100th appearance for the Tricky Trees with a decisive brace in a 3-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Capitalising on a rare place in the starting XI, afforded to him as manager Vítor Pereira rotated the squad to manage their Europa League semi-final commitments, the Nigeria international grabbed a well-taken brace. 

Speaking post-match, Awoniyi praised winger Dilane Bakwa for providing the precise cross that led to his 2nd-minute opening header while specifically lauding the manager, nutritionists, and physios. 

"Football is a team game, everyone needs to be ready and it's not about everyone starting it's about the team,” Awoniyi told reporters, per the BBC.

"We came here with the mentality to win, good ball from [Dilane] Bakwa [for his goal] as well and the way we started the game, we had more of the ball, brilliant from the team.

"Kudos to the manager and the staff - not only the people on the ground but the nutritionists, physio. It's all about the team and looking forward to the next game. I believe it could be an amazing season for us."

Awoniyi’s acknowledgement of the medical department is particularly poignant given that his Forest career, and this ongoing campaign in particular, has been severely plagued by persistent injuries that have drastically limited his league starts this season. 

Awoniyi’s sudden return to clinical goalscoring form could not have arrived at a more critical juncture for Nottingham Forest, as they desperately battle to salvage their season on two distinct fronts. 

The away victory against Chelsea successfully pushed the club up to 16th place in the table, moving them six points clear of the relegation zone and providing much-needed breathing room in their fight for Premier League survival. 

Beyond escaping the drop, they are also chasing European success. The Tricky Trees defeated league rivals Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the first-leg of their Europa League semi-final clash. They will hope to finish the job on Thursday.