Super Eagles forward Taiwo Awoniyi delivered an impressive performance on Monday afternoon, scoring a brace to lead Nottingham Forest to a well-deserved victory over Chelsea in their Premier League Round 35 clash.

The 28-year-old striker was handed his third start of the season and made the most of the opportunity, scoring in both halves as Forest stunned their hosts 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, Footballrover reports.

Taiwo Awoniyi inspires Nottingham Forest to shock Chelsea

Awoniyi caused serious problems for the Blues, scoring the opening goal, winning a penalty inside the first 15 minutes, and sealing the game with a third goal, capping it all off with a Man of the Match display in his 100th appearance for Forest.

He rose well to head home his third goal of the season before adding a simple tap-in for his fourth, taking his tally to four goal involvements in his last four outings, following his strike against Tottenham and an assist in the 5–0 win over Sunderland.

The Nigerian international has now recorded five goal contributions in 15 appearances this season.

Awoniyi marks milestone with two goals and impact display

2’ – Opens the scoring ⚽
15’ – Wins a penalty 🥅
52’ – Adds the third ⚽

Taiwo Awoniyi dominated the show against the Blues at Stamford Bridge.

Nottingham Forest tightened their grip on Premier League safety and extended their unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge with the commanding victory over a struggling Chelsea.

The result deepened the crisis for the Blues, who have now endured six consecutive league defeats—their worst slump since 1993—officially ending any hopes of a top-five finish.

The match started disastrously for interim manager Calum McFarlane when Taiwo Awoniyi headed home in the second minute.

Forest’s lead doubled shortly after when Igor Jesus converted a penalty following Malo Gusto’s foul on Awoniyi.

Despite the visitors fielding an experimental, youthful defence featuring teenagers Zach Abbott and Luca Netz, Chelsea failed to capitalise.

Even a late first-half penalty couldn’t spark a comeback, as Matz Sels denied Cole Palmer following a lengthy stoppage for a head injury to debutant Jesse Derry.

In the second half, substitute Morgan Gibbs-White provided the spark for Awoniyi to net his second.

While João Pedro eventually ended Chelsea’s nine-hour goal drought with a spectacular stoppage-time bicycle kick, it was merely a consolation.

With survival effectively secured through a seven-game unbeaten streak, Forest now shifts focus to their Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa, while Chelsea remains adrift in ninth place.

Like this post?
We’d be delighted to hear from you. Please leave a comment in the box below!

Last Updated on May 4, 2026 5:24 pm by footballrover