Steve Cooper admits he had a hunch that Taiwo Awoniyi could prove a 'handful' for Virgil van Dijk in a decision that brought his Nottingham Forest side a vital three points.
The 25-year-old former Liverpool striker - who never played for the Reds because of work permit issues - netted the only goal of the game at the City Ground, stabbing home a rebound from his own shot 10 minutes into the second half. An instinctive finish rounded off an outstanding performance from the Nigerian, who hassled and harried van Dijk and Joe Gomez from minute one.
Today's start was Awoniyi's first since Forest's 4-0 defeat at Leicester and only his fifth overall this season. But despite Cooper also being able to call on the likes of Brennan Johnson and Emmanuel Dennis, the decision to reintroduce a physical presence to lead the line paid dividends - and it was a decision that Cooper himself knew would do so.
