Chris Wood’s Boxing Day hat-trick against former club Newcastle United has kept football statisticians busy.
The New Zealand international striker’s three-goal burst for Nottingham Forest drew headlines around the world, and prompted comparisons with feats by other players in the English Premier League.
READ MORE: All Whites striker Chris Wood scores hat-trick against former club >>>>
Here are five stats to emerge:
1. Hat-tricks against former clubs
Wood (32) becomes only the fourth player in EPL history to score a hat-trick against a former club.
The other players to achieve this feat were:
- Andy Cole, for Manchester United against Newcastle United in 1999.
- Marcus Bent, for Wigan Athletic against Blackburn Rovers in 2007.
- Josh King, for Watford against Everton in 2021
2. Boxing Day hat-tricks
Wood is only the seventh player to register a Boxing Day hat-trick.
The others:
- Thierry Henry, for Arsenal against Leicester City in 2000.
- Kevin Phillips, for Sunderland against Bradford City in 2000.
- Robbie Fowler, for Leeds United against Bolton Wanderers in 2001.
- Dimitar Berbatov, for Manchester United against Wigan in 2011.
- Gareth Bale, for Tottenham Hotspur against Aston Villa in 2012.
- Harry Kane, for Tottenham Hotspur against Southampton in 2017.
3. Wood’s recent liking for Boxing Day
Wood’s Boxing Day hat-trick came exactly 12 months after he scored for Newcastle United against another of his former clubs, Leicester City.
On Boxing Day 2022, Wood opened the scoring in Newcastle’s 3-0 win at Leicester, when he smashed a penalty into the net after only three minutes.
READ MORE: Chris Wood goal helps lift Newcastle United into second place on EPL table >>>>
It’ll be worth checking out next season’s fixture list to see who’ll face Wood on Boxing Day 2024 …
4. Wood level with some of the greats
Wood’s 62nd EPL goal moved him level with some of the greatest players to grace the competition.
Level with Wood, 82nd on the all-time goalscoring chart, are:
- David Beckham (England).
- Stan Collymore (England).
- Robert Pirès (France).
- Yaya Touré (Cote D’Ivoire).
Wood is 10th on the all-time list of scorers of headed goals in the EPL, with 21 of his 62 goals coming from his head.
No player currently active in the EPL has a better record with headed goals in the competition.
VIDEO: Latest headed goal puts Chris Wood high on EPL list of aerial attackers >>>>
5. Double figures in reach for a fifth time
Wood’s hat-trick takes him to seven EPL goals for the season, with half the season to go.
Three more goals would give Wood a double-figure haul for a fifth season, a rare feat achieved by an elite band of strikers that includes Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Harry Kane (Spurs), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) and Son Heung-Min (Spurs).
Wood’s previous double-figure hauls were:
- 12 goals for Burnley, in 2020-21.
- 14 goals for Burnley, in 2019-20.
- 10 goals for Burnley, in 2018-19.
- 10 goals for Burnley, in 2017-18.
READ MORE: Forest manager praises Chris Wood for latest goals: ‘The talent is there’ >>>>
Where it all started …
READ MORE: Chris Wood – his pathway from grassroots football to the world stage >>>>
More football stories
