Wood scores in dream debut
All Whites striker Chris Wood is returning to Auckland this week on a high after scoring a stoppage time goal in his first English Premier League appearance for Burnley to secure a 1-1 draw with heavyweights Tottenham Hotspur.
Wood - signed by Burnley last week for a club record $26 million (£15 million) - finished off a sweeping move with a superb finish into the bottom corner to continue Tottenham’s woes at Wembley, the London club’s temporary home.
Wood’s equaliser cancelled out England international Dele Alli’s close-range goal shortly after halftime.
Alli capitalised on a slip by Ben Mee in the 49th minute and slotted home for his second goal of the season.
Wood - set to join the All Whites this week for their World Cup qualifying series against the Solomon Islands - was delighted to be back in the EPL and get on the scoresheet.
‘‘It is special because we got a great point away from home against a really good side. We are glad we have taken something. We created a lot of chances second half and deserved to take something,’’ Wood said.
‘‘Everybody knows the character at Burnley. We all work hard. We need to take on from last season and push on
‘‘The Premier League is a lot different from the Championship. There are more good players who can carve you up. It is nice to be back. It is where my dreams and ambitions lie.’’
Burnley manager Sean Dyche praised his record signing’s contribution after introducing the New Zealander in the 57th minute, saying he was ‘‘pleased Woody scored’’.
‘‘He was looking to break the backline,’’ Dyche said.
‘‘He was caught offside a couple of times, but I don’t mind that in my strikers. I want people who want to stretch the pitch and put pressure on the centrebacks. Not physical pressure, you understand, but they’ve always got to be on guard and I thought he did that well. It was a sublime pass [from Burnley’s Robbie Brady] and finish.’’
It was only Wood’s second goal in the English Premiership after a sole strike for Leicester City against Everton in August 2014.
The Kiwi forward made his EPL debut as a 17-year-old with West Bromwich Albion, but was unable to get regular EPL opportunities with Leicester City and was transferred to Leeds United where he was the Championship’s top scorer last season with 25 goals.
An English football critic have suggested Wood, at 25, might be better equipped to establish himself in the top flight now.
‘‘The clinical manner in which he took his goal at Wembley, after coming on as a 57th-minute substitute, indicated that perhaps he has developed into a player ready to grab his chance this time around,’’ BBC Sport correspondent Timothy Abraham wrote.
‘‘The powerful striker might not be the quickest player in a league where pace is seen as being a key attribute but Wood has plenty of other qualities to become a key figure for Sean Dyche’s side following the sale of Andre Gray.’’
Former Burnley and England midfielder Joey Barton - currently serving a ban for betting on football matches - tweeted his congratulations to Wood and his old club.
Tottenham weren’t the only London side to have troubles though, as Arsenal fell to a 4-0 thumping at the hands of Liverpool at Anfield.
Arsenal failed to record a single shot on target in the match, as Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah fronted an all out assault on the feeble visitors.
Daniel Sturridge, who came on to replace Mane in the 74th minute, put the final nail in Arsenal’s coffin three minutes later, finishing off a counterattack.
‘‘Today we were an easy opponent for Liverpool,’’ Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. When asked what went wrong, he said ‘‘everything.’’
‘‘The performance was not at the requested level,’’ he said. ‘‘It was not acceptable.’’
Fellow Londoners Chelsea improved their position on the ladder with a 2-0 win over Everton at Stamford Bridge.
Two first-half goals from Cesc Fabregas and Alvaro Morata capped off a dominant performance from the defending champions to lead them to their second win of the season.
Fabregas broke Everton in the 27th minute, clipping into the bottom corner from Morata’s knockdown, ending a move that began with a quick free-kick.
Morata’s thumping header in the 40th minute doubled Chelsea’s lead before the break, with the Spaniard finishing from Cesar Azpilicueta’s perfect cross.
As was the case for Arsenal, Everton failed to record a single shot on target in the match.
Elsewhere, West Bromwich Albion and Stoke played out a 1-1 draw, with a defensive mix-up handing Stoke a share of the points at the Hawthorns.
It took 61 minutes before the first goal of the match, with Jay Rodriguez putting West Brom went ahead with his first home goal for the club.
As the side looked in position to close out their third win in as many matches, a mix-up between defender Ahmed Hegazi and goal keeper Ben Foster saw Stoke’s Peter Crouch level the score in the 77th minute with his second goal of the year.
Liverpool move up to second on the ladder after the third round of matches, while Bournemouth replace Brighton and Hove Albion in the bottom three.
- Reuters, Stuff