Taiwo Awoniyi responds to Hudson-Odoi’s message after Nottingham Forest twist
Nottingham Forest’s players made several gestures in support of Taiwo Awoniyi during their 2-1 win over West Ham United.
Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side kept their Champions League hopes alive ahead of the final round of Premier League fixtures, with Morgan Gibbs-White and Nikola Milenkovic‘s goals enough to see off West Ham.
Forest were forced to weather a late storm of pressure after Jarrod Bowen pulled one back for the hosts with minutes to go, and an prolonged period of added time saw the match conclude after 102 minutes.
Much of the build-up to Sunday’s clash had been dominated by the abdominal injury Awoniyi suffered against Leicester City the week prior, and the actions of Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis in response.
Nottingham Forest players issue new Awoniyi tribute
Awoniyi was rushed to hospital after colliding with a post against Leicester late on, and the striker picking up a ruptured intestine led to an outpour of emotion from Forest fans, players and staff alike last week.
After the Reds’ players wore ‘Awoniyi 9’ t-shirts in their warm-up at the London Stadium, Gibbs-White held up the Nigerian’s Forest kit after his 11th-minute goal when Alphonse Areola gifted him an opening.
| 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 |
Forest’s entire squad followed suit once the full-time whistle eventually sounded in East London and held up Awoniyi’s shirt in front of the away end, as Callum Hudson-Odoi posted another message of support.
Hudson-Odoi’s Instagram story (18 May) shared a video of the Forest players’ post-match tribute and said; “we all with you brother”, to which Awoniyi responded with a message of his own, saying: “My guy”.
Awoniyi inspires Nottingham Forest to continue European push
Forest’s win over West Ham doesn’t lift them back above seventh in the Premier League table, but does close the gap on the top five to one point ahead of their final-day clash with Chelsea at the City Ground.
If the Reds can secure Champions League football with a victory, transfer spending will be in the pipeline for Marinakis, with Awoniyi one of the players likely to be upgraded on as Forest aim high in the market.
Hudson-Odoi is far more likely to keep his place in the side given his impact this season, but with the likes of Ademola Lookman touted with moves to Forest, a summer of ambition and heavy expenditure will be on the cards if they reach Europe’s elite.