Taiwo Awoniyi came off the bench to seal a historic 3-0 win at Tottenham that dragged Nottingham Forest above their relegation rivals and left Spurs staring at their worst Premier League season in over a century.
Taiwo Awoniyi wrote his name into one of English football’s strangest records on Sunday, scoring the third goal as Nottingham Forest cruised to a 3-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Super Eagles striker came off the bench to finish coolly in the 87th minute, capping a result that left Spurs with just 30 points from 31 Premier League games — their worst return at that stage of a top-flight season since 1914-15, a gap of 111 years.
Heading into the game, both clubs were tangled in the same nightmare. Spurs sat a single point above the drop zone while Forest were separated from safety only by goal difference. For Nigerian football fans, there was extra interest: not just Awoniyi on the bench, but Ola Aina starting at right back, tasked with containing Mathys Tel for the full 90 minutes. Aina was largely solid in what was a physically demanding afternoon on the flanks.
Tottenham dominated the opening exchanges and twice struck the woodwork, so the first half told a deceiving story on the scoreboard. Then Igor Jesus rose highest to meet a Neco Williams corner in the 45th minute and headed Forest in front. Supporters planning to back the Tricky Trees in future Premier League fixtures can check out the Bet9ja sign-up offer ahead of the next round of fixtures.
Second Half Belonged to the Visitors
Igor Tudor’s men came out with more urgency after the interval and looked the more threatening side in the early minutes of the second period. But Forest absorbed the pressure and punished them. In the 62nd minute, Morgan Gibbs-White capitalised on a defensive mix-up in the box and slid the ball past Guglielmo Vicario to make it 2-0. The game was effectively over at that point, and the atmosphere inside the stadium turned from anxious to despondent.
Vitor Pereira then made the substitution that would give the final scoreline its completeness. Off came Igor Jesus in the 71st minute and on came Awoniyi, whose first act was to chase down every lost cause and ruffle an already rattled Spurs backline. His shirt-tugging, shoulder-dropping running style caused visible problems for defenders who were already low on confidence.
Three minutes from time, Neco Williams whipped a low cross into the box and Awoniyi was at the back post to tap it home. The celebration was telling: he tore off his shirt to reveal an undervest reading “God is the greatest,” sprinting to the corner flag before picking up a yellow card. It was his first goal in two months and only his second Premier League goal of the season, but judging by the reaction, it meant everything to him. Nigerian fans keen on staking during the remaining relegation run-in can use the Bet9ja welcome bonus to get in on the action.
How Significant Is This Result?
Forest are now three points clear of Spurs in the table, having climbed to 16th place on the strength of this result. Tottenham remain just one point above the bottom three, but only because West Ham lost 2-0 to Aston Villa on the same afternoon. The statistics underline just how lopsided the game was: Forest converted three of their seven shots on target with an xG of 1.48, while Spurs had 14 total shots and 58% possession but generated an xG of only 1.14.
For Awoniyi personally, the milestone of his 20th Nottingham Forest goal came with the timing his career needed. Injuries have made this a frustrating campaign, and his total of two Premier League goals in 12 appearances does not reflect the threat he carries when fit. Two seasons ago, he was the man Forest turned to when survival was in the balance, and there is every reason to believe Pereira will lean on him heavily over the final weeks of the season. New Bet9ja users who want to track how the relegation battle unfolds can start with the YOHAIG welcome offer before the next round of games.
For Tottenham, the damage is severe. They are yet to win a Premier League match in 2026, with their last domestic victory coming on December 28. Interim boss Igor Tudor has lost five of his seven games across all competitions, and the stat that defines their slide most starkly remains the one that Opta surfaced after the final whistle: no Spurs side has been this poor at this point of a top-flight season in 111 years.
📌 Did You Know?
- Awoniyi’s goal on Sunday was his 20th in all competitions for Nottingham Forest since joining the club, making him one of only a handful of Nigerian strikers to reach that milestone in the Premier League era for a single English club.
- Tottenham hit the woodwork twice in the first half yet still went in 1-0 down at the break, a rare and painful combination that underlines how their inability to convert pressure into goals has defined their 2025-26 season.
- Ola Aina, who started at right back, is one of two Nigerian outfield players at Nottingham Forest this season, a club that has become a surprising hub for Super Eagles talent in the Premier League.
- Forest’s 3-0 win was their first league victory since January 25, 2026, a run of over seven weeks without three points in the top flight that made Sunday’s result feel like a survival lifeline rather than just three points.
- Neco Williams, the Wales international and Forest’s provider for both the first and third goals, created more chances in the second half than any other player on the pitch, finishing with two assists and setting the tone for a dominant attacking performance from the left flank.
- Awoniyi received a yellow card immediately after scoring for removing his shirt, meaning he celebrated one of the most important goals of his Forest career with a booking in the same moment.
- Tottenham’s last Premier League title was in 1961, and a potential relegation from the top flight for the first time since 1977 would represent another watershed moment in the club’s turbulent modern history.
