Taiwo Awoniyi scored the biggest goal of his career v Liverpool on Saturday. It wasn’t just a winning strike but a message.
It was always going to be Taiwo Awoniyi who got Nottingham Forest’s goal against Liverpool. The Nigerian needed two bites at the cherry to get it done, collecting a rebound off the post to put home.
That was a goal against his former side, even if he never actually played for Liverpool. The Reds signed him from the Nigerian league when Awoniyi was very young but couldn’t secure a work-permit.
That situation never changed, despite several loan deals to clubs across Europe. Awoniyi eventually found great success with Union Berlin, who purchased him from Liverpool in 2021.
So how did Awoniyi feel about scoring against a side that he spent so long attached to?
“I am happy but the most important thing is three points,” said the player, per the Daily Mail. “To score against Liverpool, I will never forget.
“I will always be grateful to them for scouting me from Nigeria. It was amazing to score against them.”
Taiwo Awoniyi scores goal v Liverpool
It was immediately apparent after selling Awoniyi that Liverpool had made a mistake. They collected just £6.5m from Union and the Nigerian soon proved beyond doubt that he was worth considerably more.
Forest then confirmed that by paying £17.5m to sign him less than a year after Liverpool’s sale. It’s a shame, then, that the Reds never got to play him.
Because Awoniyi could have had a role, or at least he has the talent to be in the squad. We imagine Jurgen Klopp could have worked wonders with such a natural striker.
Of course, there are no reasons for grudges. Awoniyi’s message to Liverpool with his goal is one of patience – they should have waited at least one more year before selling. If they’d done so, they’d have gotten so much more out of the player, instead of simply cursing as he scores against them.
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