Newcastle United enjoyed a 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon and Chris Wood delivered another impressive performance despite not scoring. The 30-year-old is without a goal in his first seven Premier League appearances for Newcastle but still shone in attack and was helpful defensively too.
Jordan Cronin of Newcastle World gave Wood a player rating of 7/10 and called his performance ‘exceptional’, praising him for holding the ball up and defending in his own box. Lee Ryder of Chronicle Live gave the 30-year-old a player rating of 8/10 and praised his passing for setting up Newcastle’s opener.
Grey Whitebloom of 90min gave Wood a player rating of 6/10, saying he ‘played a crucial role’ in the opening goal but was at fault for Brighton’s goal. Dominic Schurr of Shields Gazette gave the New Zealand a player rating of 7/10 and said he was ‘brilliant’ in the build-up to Newcastle’s first goal.
Against Brighton, Wood played for 90 minutes, had 35 touches, won six aerial duels, completed 45.8% of his 24 passes, created one chance, blocked one shot, made one clearance and won one freekick. The 30-year-old will hope to find the back of the net before the season is up.
Next up for Wood and Newcastle is a trip to face Southampton on February 10.
In other news, journalists hail ‘key’ Ryan Fraser performance in Brighton & Hove Albion win
