Taiwo Awoniyi came off the bench to provide an assist as Nottingham Forest thrashed Sunderland 5-0 in their Premier League clash at the Stadium of Light on Friday.
The Nigerian International’s assist came few minutes after his introduction, sealing the crucial victory for Forest to take them eight points clear of the relegation zone.
The visitors were rampant in the first half, with Trai Hume’s own goal in the 17th minute giving them the lead. They then scored three goals in six minutes to make it 4-0 before half time.
Chris Wood scored for the first time since August 2025 to make the score line 2-0. Morgan Gibbs-White continued his impressive form with another goal, while Igor Jesus added one more shortly after.
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Daniel Ballard thought he had reduced the deficit when he found the net in the 61st minute. But after a VAR check, the goal was disallowed for a foul on Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Awoniyi was introduced in the 88th minute, coming on for Chris Wood. Few minutes after the change, the Nigerian striker played in Elliot Anderson, who made no mistake from close range, scoring to make it 5-0.
It marks an incredible result for Forest as they have now moved eight points clear of the relegation zone. They currently sit 16th on the table with 39 points.
Sunderland, meanwhile, missed on the chance to move into the top half of the table. They remain 11th with 46 points.
The Black Cats will aim to return to winning ways when they face already-relegated Wolves at Molineux next week.
On the other hand, Nottingham Forest will turn their attention to the Europa League. They will face Aston Villa in the first leg of their semifinal clash on Thursday.
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