Super Eagles pair Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi were involved on Saturday as Nottingham Forest thrashed Brighton 7-0 in their English Premier League clash at the City Ground.
While wing-back Aina was as usual in the Forest starting line-up, Awoniyi was a late substitute for hat-trick hero Chris Wood.
The huge win was an emphatic response from Nottingham Forest, who were trounced 5-0 at Bournemouth last weekend.
The loss at Vitality Stadium was Forest’s first since early December but they were back to winning ways in front of their own supporters on Saturday, registering their biggest-ever Premier League victory against the Seagulls.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side took a 12th-minute lead when Lewis Dunk inadvertently turned Morgan Gibbs-White’s low cross into his own net from close range.
It was Dunk’s seventh-ever Premier League own goal, taking him level with Jamie Carragher among others.
Gibbs-White doubled the host’s advantage with a glancing header from Anthony Elanga’s corner, and it was 3-0 just after the half-hour mark when Wood nodded home Elanga’s cross for his 15th Premier League goal of the season – his most in a single campaign in the competition.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler made a triple half-time change in an effort to contain Forest, but Wood tapped home another Elanga delivery to make it 4-0 after 64 minutes.
And just five minutes later, Tariq Lamptey wrestled Gibbs-White to the ground at a Forest corner to give the New Zealand striker a golden opportunity to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot.
The 33-year-old sent Bart Verbruggen the wrong way to make it 5-0, before Neco Williams made it six after latching on to a loose ball deep inside the area.
There was still time for Jota Silva to get in on the act, firing home a low shot from Verbruggen’s misplaced pass in added time.
The win lifted Forest level on points with second-placed Arsenal – who play Manchester City on Sunday – while Brighton are ninth.
