Awoniyi nets as Forest pick up first away win

Taiwo Awoniyi was on the scoresheet for Nottingham Forest as they picked up a 1-0 win over Joe Aribo‘s Southampton in their Premier League clash. The win gave the newly-promoted side their first away win since returning to the top-flight.

Having impressed and been named Man of the Match in their 1-1 draw against Chelsea at the weekend, Awoniyi was selected to lead the line once more for the Reds as they sought to build on the result.

Southampton had a chance to open the scoring in the opening minutes but Che Adams missed his effort and the chance went begging.

Adams’ opposite number, Awoniyi, was an all-action presence in the opening exchanges and helped his side create their first big chance of note through his industry. The chance ended with Brennan Johnson crashing an effort against the woodwork.

Before the half-hour mark, Nottingham Forest went in front at the St. Mary’s Stadium. A misplaced pass from Lyanco at the back saw the ball fall to Johnson, who squared the ball for Awoniyi to sweep it into an empty net for his fourth goal of the season.

Southampton struggled to break down the compact setup employed by Steve Cooper with his Nottingham Forest side despite the introduction of Nigerian midfielder Aribo after 64 minutes.

Nottingham Forest held on for their first away win of the season and condemned the Saints to a sixth successive defeat in the league. The Reds find themselves outside the drop zone following the win.

Super Eagles striker Awoniyi has now scored three times in his last five appearances for the Reds after goals in a friendly win against Valencia and in the Carabao Cup. He has won nine points with his goals for Nottingham Forest in the league this season, having scored the winner in three of his side’s four wins.