Taiwo Awoniyi’s Nottingham Forest were beneficiaries of Fulham’s 4-2 victory over Luton Town as they got the reassurance of playing Premier League football next season, Soccernet.ng reports.
Luton Town needed to defeat Fulham by eleven goals with hopes that Forest lose to already-relegated Burnley to stand any chances of a Premier League stay, but their hopes were crushed at Kenilworth Road.
Harry Wilson’s brilliant assist allowed Adama Traore to score his second goal of the season but Calvin Bassey’s foul on Chiedozie Ogbene allowed Carlton Morris to fire home from twelve yards, grabbing an equalizer for Luton.
Raúl Jiménez put Fulham back in front just before half-time, with Harry Wilson again becoming the provider. Jiménez added the third for Marco Silva’s men but Alfie Doughty pulled one back for Luton, keeping their faint spirits alive.
The game was put to bed in the 68th minute when the duo that broke the deadlock combined, this time, Traore becoming provider, and Harry Wilson tapped home to score his fourth goal of the season, with Iwobi’s run playing a crucial role in the build-up to the goal.
At Turf Moor, Chris Wood led the line while Taiwo Awoniyi was on the bench. The Australian scored a brace in the opening fifteen minutes to cool any nerves.
Josh Cullen pulled one back for Vincent Kompany’s men, but that wouldn’t change their fate, as their relegation was already confirmed two weeks prior.
Taiwo Awoniyi replaced Wood in the 79th minute while Ola Aina didn’t feature at all, but there will be joy in the Forest dressing room, as their top-flight status is secured for another season.
Three points to round off the season 😍 pic.twitter.com/5Tinwh6yZX
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) May 19, 2024
Taiwo Awoniyi, Ola Aina, Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi will now be preparing for Nigeria’s crucial World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic.