Premier League: Chris Wood joins an elite list with hat-trick
Hat-trick hero Chris Wood helped Nottingham Forest prevail 3-1 over Newcastle United on matchday 19 of the 2023-24 Premier League. Forest were without a win in their last seven Premier League games before they registered a dominant win over the Magpies. Alexander Isak handed Newcastle the lead via a spot-kick but a hat-trick from Wood helped Forest. He has now joined an elite list.
Seventh player to slam Premier League hat-trick on Boxing Day
Wood had a sensational game against Newcastle at St. James Park. As per Opta, he became the seventh player to hammer a Premier League hat-trick on Boxing Day. He joins an elite list of players which includes Thierry Henry (2000), Kevin Phillips (2000), Robbie Fowler (2001), Dimitar Berbatov (2011), Gareth Bale (2012) and Harry Kane (2017).
Fourth player to score Premier League hat-trick against former team
The marksman from New Zealand has previously featured for Newcastle United. Hence, he became the fourth player to score a Premier League hat-trick against their former opposition. Before him, only Andy Cole versus Newcastle (August 1999), Marcus Bent against Blackburn Rovers (December 2007), and Josh King versus Everton (October 2021). Wood has featured in 35 Premier League matches for Newcastle United, scoring four goals.
Some exciting stats from the match
This was Newcastle's first-ever home defeat against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. They have won seven home matches along with three draws. Newcastle have now lost 16 Boxing Day matches in the Premier League, the most by any team. This is the second time Forest have won after conceding first in an away Premier League game, since winning against Leeds in April 1996.
A look at Wood's overall Premier League numbers
Wood has netted seven goals from 17 matches in the 2023-24 Premier League. Notably, he only scored once for Forest in seven league appearances last season on loan from Newcastle. The marksman has scored four league goals for the Magpies across 35 Premier League matches. Overall, he has hammered 68 goals in the competition while registering 213 appearances. He has also provided eight assists.
Wood has played for five teams in the Premier League
Wood is a Premier League veteran with 200-plus appearances. He has featured for five teams in the competition - West Bromwich Albion, Leicester City, Burnley, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest. He has scored at least once for all teams except for West Brom.
