Wilson back in business with thrilling hat-trick
AFTER two years of hurt, Callum Wilson has slowly dragged himself from the floor via two knackered knees and completed his comeback with a hat-trick against Huddersfield Town.
They were his first Premier League goals in almost a year and his second top-flight treble, the last coming against West Ham in August 2015 when he exploded on to the scene following Bournemouth’s promotion.
Two separate knee ligament injuries have prevented Wilson from kicking on since five goals in his first six Premier League games had former England manager Roy Hodgson considering him for the national team.
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe, whose own playing career was ruined by injury, said: ‘I’ve been there myself in the respect you get a serious injury. It’s a very lonely place, hard to come back from.
‘Especially for Callum, he’d just scored a hat-trick in his first taste of Premier League football. It seemed like he had the world at his feet and it changed in an instant.’
There was no Jermain Defoe for Bournemouth yesterday — ruled out with a calf injury — and instead they needed to find a cutting edge from elsewhere and Wilson provided it.
Wilson was hustling Huddersfield goalkeeper Jonas Lossl at a corner until he was shepherded away by Aaron Mooy, who then lost his man when Jordon Ibe sent in an in-swinger from the left, leaving the striker to nod in from close. Who needs knees when you’ve got a solid head?
The defending was even worse for the second. From a free-kick out on the left, Andrew Surman curled the ball in behind the back-line, who were so slow to react they could only watch as Wilson side-footed in.
Huddersfield manager David Wagner was furious afterwards, claiming Charlie Daniels fouled Florent Hadergjonaj before the corner and that Wilson was offside for the second. ‘Two refereeing decisions against us were wrong,’ Wagner said.
Bournemouth were finishing the half at full tilt until Simon Francis was sent off in stoppage time for a second yellow card.
A rare second-half home attack broke down in the 70th minute but Scott Malone tried to dribble out from the back and was robbed by Harry Arter, who feinted past Mooy and finished into the bottom right corner.
Wilson scored through a crowd of bodies late on for his third, becoming the first Englishman to net a treble this season. As if Southgate didn’t have enough to consider already.