Neco Williams shares ‘huge’ Nottingham Forest message ahead of Chelsea showdown
Taiwo Awoniyi was sent another tribute as Nottingham Forest prepare to put their entire season on the line against Chelsea.
Forest clawed themselves back into Champions League contention with a nervy victory over West Ham on Sunday, as Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side saw off a late comeback and prolonged injury time to win 2-1.
A mistake from West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola gifted Morgan Gibbs-White the opening goal after just 11 minutes, and Nikola Milenkovic’s header on the hour mark proved to be the difference eventually.
The much-needed victory brings the seventh-placed Reds level with Manchester City and just one point behind Newcastle, Aston Villa and Chelsea above them, ahead of their clash with the latter next week.
Awoniyi sent new tribute after Nottingham Forest win
The build-up to Forest’s first win in four against West Ham was dominated by the serious injury suffered by Awoniyi against Leicester City seven days earlier, and the fallout to that incident has drawn criticism.
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has hit back at criticism of his actions after he came onto the City Ground pitch at full-time, and news of Awoniyi’s hospitalisation has since led to widespread sympathy.
| West Ham United | Statistics | Nottingham Forest |
| 1 | Goals | 2 |
| 1.13 | xG | 1.96 |
| 5 / 16 | Shots on Target | 5 / 10 |
| 61% | Possession | 39% |
| 8 | Corners | 7 |
Gibbs-White paid tribute to his team-mate by holding up an ‘Awoniyi 9’ shirt after he netted Forest’s opener in East London, and Neco Williams left another message of support for his injured team-mate.
In an Instagram story post (18 May), Williams said: “That was for you [Taiwo] Awoniyi – Huge win!
“See you all next Sunday”.
Chelsea clash to define Nottingham Forest’s season
Next Sunday’s showdown with the Blues at the City Ground pits Forest and Chelsea in a straight shoot-out to finish inside the Premier League‘s top five, with a Champions League at stake for the victors.
Forest were in pole position to finish behind Liverpool and Arsenal at the summit of the table, but their recent run of just one win in six saw them slip dow to seventh and outside the Champions League places.
Victory will see Nuno’s side leapfrog Chelsea to book a spot in Europe’s elite at their expense, and with Marinakis ready to agree new, big-money deals with some of their star players, Forest’s summer activity will be defined by their result on 25 May.