Taiwo Awoniyi Brace Fires Nottingham Forest To Big Win Over Chelsea

Super Eagles of Nigeria striker, Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice as Nottingham Forest stunned Chelsea 3-1 in the 2025-2026 Premier League on a frantic afternoon at Stamford Bridge.

Nottingham Forest were out of the blocks ruthlessly and had the game under control inside the opening quarter of an hour. Awoniyi needed just two minutes to set the tone, powering home a header from a Bakar cross to silence the home crowd.

Chelsea tried to respond quickly. Cole Palmer went close after a sweeping move and Enzo Fernández struck the post, but the visitors doubled their lead in the 15th minute. Igor Jesus calmly converted from the spot after a foul by Malo Gusto.

The hosts were handed a lifeline deep into first-half stoppage time when they won a penalty. Palmer stepped up but saw his effort saved, leaving Chelsea trailing by two goals at the break.

Forest tightened their grip seven minutes after the restart. Morgan Gibbs-White slipped a neat pass through for Awoniyi, who finished confidently to make it 3-0 and complete his brace.

Injuries disrupted the rhythm in the second half, with Robert Sánchez and Gibbs-White both forced off after a heavy collision. Chelsea briefly thought they had pulled one back when João Pedro found the net, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.

Pedro eventually got his goal in stoppage time, but it was too late to spark a comeback as Forest sealed a deserved away victory.

The win means that Nottingham Forest are currently sitting in the 16th position with 42 points in 35 games. While Chelsea remain in 9th spot with 48 points in 35 games.