BBC pundit Garth Crooks has raved about Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi for his performance on Saturday against Chelsea.
The Reds came from behind to claim a valuable point as they bid to stay in the Premier League this season.
Awoniyi had fired Forest into an early lead at Stamford Bridge but a Raheem Sterling brace sent the game full circle.
The Reds weren’t behind for long though and Awoniyi pounced yet again to restore parity for Steve Cooper’s side.
Awoniyi has scored four goals in his last two games with the Reds genuinely in the race to stay up now.
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The 25-year-old has taken some time to settle at the City Ground but he’s now proving his worth.
He signed from Union Berlin for around £17.5 million in the summer and was brilliant in the Bundesliga last season.
Crooks thinks the player has grown this season and has claimed that he’s been impressed with him of late.
He told BBC Sport: “Taiwo Awoniyi’s two goals not only exposed their defensive frailties but provided Forest with a Premier League lifeline.
“The Nigerian striker struggled, as did his team, in the first half of the season, but regular readers will note I said the only way Steve Cooper’s Forest could survive was if the owner stopped buying players mid-season and allowed the manager to create a team.
“The World Cup break also bought Cooper time to do precisely that. Meanwhile, Awoniyi has grown into a player and Forest now have a real chance of survival.”
Crooks raved about Awoniyi after Saturday draw for Forest
It proved to be a good point for the Reds in the end, with Everton and Leicester both losing and Leeds failing to win.
Forest have kept their head above water but they do face Arsenal on Saturday with the visitors needing to win.
Awoniyi has grown as a player over the course of the season and on Saturday he was bang in form with two opportunistic goals.
The Reds needed to get something at Chelsea and they did, although they might be kicking themselves that they couldn’t win.
Forest’s last home game of the season comes on Saturday against Arsenal and the hope will be that Awoniyi can once again find the net.