Awoniyi's duel with Konate & three other observations from Super Eagles striker display v Liverpool

Super Eagles strikers Taiwo Awoniyi and Emmanuel Dennis were in action on Saturday in Nottingham Forest's 3-2 away defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.

All Nigeria Soccer here presents four observations from the game from the Nigerians' perspective.

1. Awoniyi vs Konate battles

Taiwo Awoniyi had a couple of one-on-ones with Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate.

However, the Liverpool and France international defender came out on tops with  four duels won while the Nigerian won just once with a free kick awarded to Forest in the first half.

2. Awoniyi's midfield impact

In the 25th minute of the game, Awoniyi had to fall back in midfield to pick up the ball as his team mounted pressure.

The former Union Berlin striker found a teammate from the centre of the pack as they countered.

It did reflect the fact that Awoniyi was sometimes isolated without much support coming his way.

3. Defensive assistance

The Nigerian was back in defence to help defend set pieces against Liverpool and in one situation, had the ball deflect off his feet for a Liverpool corner.

Liverpool’s central defenders, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate were menacingly attacking the Forest goal area and the away side needed the six-footed Nigerian to help repel the attacks which he did reasonably well.

4. The goal attempt

Awoniyi had a good chance to score for his team but the ball nestled on top of the net after his acrobatic effort with an hour played.

Awoniyi is not known to score an awful lot of spectacular goals but beyond the satisfaction of scoring such a great goal, that might have decided how the game eventually panned out as the next goal came from teammate Morgan Gibbs-White.

       
Izuchukwu Michael
    

Photo Credit : nottinghamforest.co.uk

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