Karen Carney hails Gibbs-White’s tribute to Taiwo Awoniyi after goal celebration

By Monsurah Olatunji

England Lionesses legend Karen Carney has praised Morgan Gibbs-White for his heartfelt goal celebration dedicated to injured teammate Taiwo Awoniyi during Nottingham Forest’s 2-1 victory over West Ham United on Saturday, May 17, 2025.

Gibbs-White opened the scoring in the 11th minute and celebrated by lifting a shirt bearing Awoniyi’s name and number, a touching tribute to the Nigerian striker who is currently recovering from a serious abdominal injury.

Awoniyi sustained the injury in Forest’s previous match against Leicester City, colliding with the goalpost. He underwent emergency surgery and was briefly placed in an induced coma but is now recovering.

Speaking on Premier League Productions, Carney commended the gesture, saying, “It’s a shocking decision from the goalkeeper… Like Stuart said there, Gibbs-White isn’t going to miss. And a nice celebration for Awoniyi — hopefully he’s on the recovery as well.”

In addition to Gibbs-White’s tribute, the entire Forest squad wore warm-up shirts emblazoned with Awoniyi’s name and number, accompanied by the message: “We’re all with you Taiwo.”

Awoniyi expressed his gratitude on social media, stating: “This season has been one of the most difficult of my career but through it all, I have felt the love… With the grace of God, I am grateful to still be here, to still be fighting, to still be smiling, and to be in good spirits.”

Nottingham Forest’s recent victory against West Ham pushed them to seventh place in the Premier League standings, continuing their push for European qualification.