Super Eagles defender Ola Aina was in action for the full 90 minutes as Nottingham Forest recorded a comeback 4-1 win over Burnley at home on Sunday, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Tricky Trees boosted their chances of Premier League survival this season with a massive win that comes off the back of progress to the UEFA Europa League semifinal, where Aina played a starring role. They are now five points clear of the drop zone with only five matches left to play.
Morgan Gibbs-White was the star of the show, scoring a stunning hat-trick to cancel out a first-half opener for Burnley by Zian Flemming, while Igor Jesus added a late fourth as Forest claimed their ninth league win of the season.
Nottingham Forest vs Burnley: What happened?
Nottingham Forest went into the game knowing a win would push them further clear of the relegation zone as the season nears its final stretch. For Burnley, however, the situation looked far more bleak, with the Clarets stuck in the drop zone and edging closer to relegation.
Ola Aina, back from the injury that kept him out earlier in the season, featured in his 17th Premier League appearance of the campaign and made it his 14th straight start as Forest chased a crucial result.
The first half started slowly as both sides were cautious in possession, but Burnley made the better effort and made sure they went into the break ahead when Flemming scored on the stroke of halftime.
Nottingham Forest came out firing in the second half in search of a response and upped the tempo and they turned the game around after a 15-minute hat-trick from captain Gibbs-White.
The England international pulled them level in the 62nd minute, before scoring his second as they took the lead for the first time in the game five minutes later. He completed his treble in the 77th minute, as Forest took a giant step towards survival.
Substitute Jesus added a late fourth in stoppage-time to seal the win for his side as they solidified their 16th position on the league standings.
Super Eagles player ratings: Aina in action, Awoniyi unused
While Ola Aina lasted the full 90 minutes, Taiwo Awoniyi remained an unused substitute, watching on from the bench throughout the match.
Aina may not have hit the same heights as his standout display against Porto in the Europa League last Thursday, but he still delivered a solid performance at right-back. The Super Eagles defender did well to keep Jaidon Anthony quiet and stayed disciplined defensively.
The Nigerian defender finished with 84% passing accuracy, completed nine passes into the final third and recorded one tackle, as well as three clearances. He also made six ball recoveries and won the two-thirds of his ground duels, earning a 6.6 rating on Sofascore.
Nottingham Forest have now taken a huge step towards Premier League survival and will now prepare to face Sunderland on Friday night, hoping for another win to edge closer to retaining their top-flight status this season.
