“Amazing job” – Espirito Santo salutes Awoniyi after Nottingham Forest vs Exeter clash

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espírito Santo has praised Taiwo Awoniyi’s display in their FA Cup clash against Exeter City, Soccernet.ng reports. 

The Nigerian striker, who has struggled for regular game time with Chris Wood being the preferred option in attack, took his chance in the FA Cup tie by scoring and putting in a strong performance.

In the 37th minute of the game, Ibrahim Sangare sent in a pass to Awoniyi, who fired a thunderous strike from the edge of the box to extend the Tricky Trees’ lead.

Taiwo AwoniyiTaiwo Awoniyi
Goal celebrations for Taiwo Awoniyi of Nottingham Forest during the Emirates FA cup 4th round match between Exeter City and Nottingham Forest [Photo credit/Imago]
However, his night ended prematurely after suffering a broken nose in a collision with Exeter goalkeeper Joe Whitworth.

Speaking to talkSPORT after the game, Nuno hailed Awoniyi’s contributions to the game:

“I think he broke his nose, but he’s walking around smiling. He did an amazing job, he did really well today.”

Earlier in the January transfer window, Awoniyi was linked with a move away from Forest in search of more playing time, but no deal materialised.

Taiwo Awoniyi of Nottingham Forest celebrates victory during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest [Photo credit/Imago]
Despite this, Nuno had previously expressed confidence in his squad, including the Nigerian forward.

“I think we are in a good place as a squad. As long as we keep ourselves healthy and work as good as we are working, I think we can compete until the end of the season,” Nuno said before the FA Cup fixture.

“It was a quiet window for all the clubs. It is always very difficult to operate, and we were aware of that. We had a clear intention to retain the core of the squad. All the players are here and available. We didn’t achieve what we wanted because it is very hard. We keep going.”

With Awoniyi impressing in his rare start, Nuno may have a selection dilemma in the coming weeks if Awoniyi returns quickly.

This post was last modified on February 12, 2025 7:11 am

Ayomide Oguntimehin

Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Editor at Soccernet.ng, with a proven track record in conducting interviews with Super Eagles stars such as William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ademola Lookman, and many others. He has also made a significant impact in breaking transfer news stories. Grounded in video editing, video journalism, social media management, and content strategy, Ayomide brings a wealth of expertise to his work.

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