Hands Man City Premier League shield on the golden platter
By Ed Emeanua
Nigeria forward Taiwo Awoniyi saved Nottingham Forest from relegation jaws making Manchester City a three consecutive premier League champion in the process.
Thanks to Awoniyi, the Reds secured their Premier League status next term, just as Arsenal surrendered their ambition to regain the shield to Manchester City, as Forest sucker-punched the Gunners 1-0 at the City Ground on Saturday.
Awoniyi’s solitary first half goal against an insipid Arsenal side at City Ground was all that it took to turnaround a topsy-turvy season for Forest’s record signing this season.
Only Manchester United, City’s arch-rival have won the Premier League on three consecutive seasons. The Red Devils have actually performed the feat twice in their history.
City also could win the FA Cup final when they take on struggling Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, and are rest assured of no reason to keep on looking over their shoulders on their Premier League account, as Arsenal will now only settle for second no matter what happens in their game.
The defeat steamrolls Arsenal on 81 points, four points adrift of the already crowned-three-time reigning Premier League kings, who also have two outstanding games to be played, with just a solitary match remaining for the rival.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest have 37 unassailable points from the four bottom-of-the-table teams, and are mathematically safe from relegation.
Yet, the season of the Nigeria international who made this happen was largely unsung before now. since his arrival at City Ground, Awoniyi was blighted by either poor form, the outcome of an injury plagued football term.
But things began to happen for the former Liverpool academy starlet during the tail end of the season when relegation survival became all that mattered in the struggling Reds Camp.
His couple of braces here and there soon after began to give Steven Cooper’s side hope of a possible relegation lifeline when all seemed but lost for Forest. But the African savior saved the best for almost the last, securing his side the relegation safety route with a game left to play.
Once again another limp Arsenal outcome on the weekend– a shock 1-0 capitulation to Nottingham Forest and Awoniyi’s 19th minute brilliance– has established Man City as champions of England for the third season in a sequence, and the fifth time in the last six terms.
