Forest hero Lichaj has paws for thought

LONDON: Nottingham Forest defender Eric Lichaj has been rewarded for his goal- scoring exploits in the FA Cup win over Arsenal with a pet dog.

The 29- year- old American scored twice as the second- tier Championship side won 4- 2 at the City Ground on Sunday to eliminate the holders, and said after the game his wi fe had promised him a dog if he scored a hat-trick this season.

She was then hounded on social media to get the dog despite Lichaj falling one goal short, and has allowed her husband to have a French bulldog.

The animal has, appropriately, been christened ‘Gunner’.

“Wanted to show everyone the newest member of the Lichaj family.... Gunner. Thank you everyone for for pushing @ KatPerko in the right direction! # erichasadog,” tweeted Lichaj on Wednesday.

He tweeted on Monday, asking “anyone who is bored” to send “dog pics, memes, gifs” to @ KatPerko – his wife’s Twitter handle – and plenty of users joined in using the hashtag # GetEricADog.

Teammates also got involved, with Kieran Dowell, who scored the penalty for Forest’s fourth when Lichaj was keen to take it, posting a GIF of a beagle flying on a magic carpet.

Various other teammates waded in, with Ben Brereton, Zach Clough and Matty Cash among those to post dog-related videos on Monday. — AFP