Taiwo Awoniyi has looked back on the two goals that defined his early Nottingham Forest career — the strike that gave the club their first Premier League goal of the 21st century and the winner against Liverpool that carried a unique personal meaning, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Forest returned to the Premier League in 2022 after a 23-year absence, and it was Awoniyi who provided the moment supporters had waited decades for. The Nigerian striker scored in first-half stoppage time to seal a 1-0 win over West Ham United on August 14, 2022 — Forest’s first Premier League goal since their relegation in 1999.
“For me, it was like a dream come true once more, scoring my first-ever Premier League goal, being the first person to score the first Premier League goal after being back in the Premier League,” Awoniyi recalled.
“I think it’s a moment I will never forget. In that moment, I was just so happy, scoring where I’ve wanted to be.”
But it was the winner against Liverpool on October 22, 2022, that carried the most complex emotions.
