Premier League pundit Garth Crooks has named Taiwo Awoniyi in his Premier League team of the week after the Nottingham Forest centre-forward scored the winning goal against his former club Liverpool.
The Nigeria international was on hand to finish the rebound from Ryan Yates ' poke onto the foot of the post and beat Alisson from point-blank range ten minutes after half-time to give Forest something to hold on to at the City Ground. They then had Dean Henderson to thank at the other end, who pulled off seven saves and kept a clean sheet to secure a much-needed three points for the hosts.
Forest's Manchester United loanee also features in Crooks' team. The Premier League pundit goes on to offer an encouraging outlook on the second half of the season for Steve Cooper 's side.
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"Nottingham Forest have shown grit and determination the moment they stepped in to the Premier League," Crooks wrote for BBC Sport. "What they didn't possess was belief and ingenuity. With more of the same, it might be a very interesting second half to the season for Forest."
On Awoniyi, the pundit said: "Being employed by a top professional club without ever making the grade can take some getting over. Taiwo Awoniyi must have dreamt about scoring for Liverpool as a youngster but left without playing a single game.
"He could never have imagined that one day he would inflict one of the club's most embarrassing defeats. Only football can throw up these strange events."
Former manager Jurgen Klopp offered an equally glowing verdict on the player, telling the BBC: "He had a sensational development. He has arrived where he belongs, and I am happy for him, but not today so much."
Awoniyi himself admitted that it was an "emotional game" coming up against his former club when being interviewed in the middle of the pitch almost immediately after the full-time whistle. "I was looking forward to playing Liverpool because they signed me when I was 18, and it was an emotional game for me."
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