August 6, (THEWILL) – Taiwo Awoniyi had a substitute appearance in his English Premier League debut on Saturday, as Newcastle United defeated his newly promoted Nottingham Forest 2-0.
Newcastle were dominant from kickoff and the Magpies looked hungry for the early lead, but they had to wait until the end with two goals in the final half-hour to take all three points and an opening game victory in their first home tie.
Swiss centre defender, Fabian Schar, scored the game’s first goal at the hour mark with a long-range shot, after he had been left unchallenged to carry out a run at goal from 30 yards out.
On 79 minutes, Callum Wilson, who had not even attempted a kick before, produced a beautiful finish off of Joelinton’s pull-back to confirm that Eddie Howe’s team will take the maximum points. Although they shown a lot of spirit, Forest manager Steve Cooper will have few concerns especially in the final third.
Cooper settled for an interesting tactic of keeping two-men up their frontline at all times and the result may give him a rethink if it is a strategy he will continue and if he was employing the right players to begin with. Awoniyi may get more minutes when they meet West Ham next Sunday as the Toon army head to Brighton the day before.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
