August 14, (THEWILL) – English Premier League newboys, Nottingham Forest, held on to a slim lead to clinch their first top flight win in 23 years with a thrilling rollercoaster victory over West Ham, thanks to a Taiwo Awoniyi goal.
Forest had just completed the double acquisition of another Nigerian forward Emmanuel Dennis and Cheikhou Kouyate, as part of their ongoing transfer dealings, but are already reaping rewards for their summer business. In the lead up to the goal, Jesse Lingard’s half-hit attempt was blocked, before Awoniyi, a summer club-record acquisition from Union Berlin for a reported £17 million, slammed in the winning goal with his knee in first-half stoppage time.
The Hammers were denied a goal because of Michail Antonio’s foul in the buildup and a VAR review provided the referee with cause to strike out the goal. Then, Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals both made two goal attempts for West Ham, but were unfortunate to only find the crossbar.
The game’s outcome was most decisively decided when Forest goalkeeper, Dean Henderson, saved Declan Rice’s soft penalty after Scott McKenna’s handball and Kurt Zouma’s late header was cleared off the line. It meant Forest fortunately earned the three points to begin their race to remain in the EPL.
Forest will carry this momentum into their Saturday night EPL match against Everton. Before that, on Thursday, West Ham will play Viborg in their first Europa Conference League match at the London Stadium.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
