Taiwo Awoniyi hits brace to keep Nottingham Forest survival hopes live at Chelsea

The Super Eagles star has now scored a brace in two consecutive games after scoring two goals against Southampton in their last match.

Chelsea came into the game on the back of a first win under Frank Lampard against Bournemouth, and they were up against a Nottingham Forest side that was only two points clear of the drop zone.

However, it was Forest who took the lead in 13 minutes as Awoniyi got between both Chelsea center-backs and goalkeeper to power a header into the back of the net after an inviting cross from Renan Lodi.

The visitors found themselves rocking after Raheem Sterling turned the game on its head with two goals of his own in seven minutes of the second half.

The experienced winger latched onto a cutback from Trevoh Chalobah before dispatching the ball into the back of the net from the middle of the box via a deflection just six minutes into the second half.

He then drove into the box from the left before beating one defender and curling an effort into the far corner of the net to give the Blues the lead in the 58th minute.

But in-form Awoniyi beat the Chelsea offside trap by a fraction to head home the equalizer from Orel Mangala, which means they have taken four points from the last two games as the relegation battle reaches its climax.

With only two games left to play, Awoniyi has now scored eight goals for the Reds this season as Steve Cooper’s side is inching towards safety as they move three points clear of the Premier League bottom three.

They will face Arsenal at home in their next game before finishing the season at Crystal Palace who have nothing to play for.