Newcastle loses again as Wood scores hat trick against former team. Back-to-back wins for Luton
Tue, Dec 26, 2023
Soccer News (AP)
MANCHESTER, England (AP) - Chris Wood came back to haunt Newcastle and hand Nuno Espirito Santo his first win as Nottingham Forest manager.
Wood, who joined Newcastle in January 2022 and was sold to Forest 18 months later, struck a hat trick in his team's 3-1 win in the Premier League at St. James' Park on Tuesday.
"I'm just happy to stick them away. That's what I'm here to do and I'm just happy I could," the striker said.
Wood was one of Newcastle's first signings after the club was bought by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund in 2021. He moved from Burnley for around $32 million, but was loaned to Forest 12 months later after scoring five goals in 39 appearances.
He completed a permanent move to Forest in June this year in a deal worth $19 million.
Newcastle has now lost five of its last seven games in all competitions and has only had one win in the league during that run.
"It was a difficult afternoon," Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said.
It was Nuno's second game in charge at Forest after replacing former manager Steve Cooper before Christmas.
"I think the boys played very well," Nuno said. "It's amazing so let's enjoy it."
Newcastle took the lead through Alexander Isak's first-half penalty, but Wood evened the score just before halftime. He went on to score two goals and complete his hat trick after the break.
LUTON DOUBLE
Back-to-back wins for Luton have boosted the relegation-fighting club's chances of survival. But Rob Edwards' team had Sheffield United to thank for the 3-2 win at Bramall Lane after the bottom-place team scored two own-goals in the space of four minutes.
Jack Robinson and Anis Ben Slimane put through their own net in the 77th and 81st minutes to hand 18th-place Luton the win that moved it to within a point of Everton in 17th.
Alfie Doughty had given Luton a first-half lead in the 17th. Oliver McBurnie leveled in the 61st and Anel Ahmedhodzic put Sheffield United 2-1 up in the 69th. But the own-goals turned the game around as Luton followed up its 1-0 victory over Newcastle with another win.
IRAOLA RUN
After a tough start at Bournemouth, Andoni Iraola is on a roll with six wins in seven games.
Goals from Justin Kluivert, Dominic Solanke and Luis Sinisterra secured the latest - a 3-0 win against Fulham.
Iraola arrived from Rayo Vallecano in the offseason with a big reputation, but won only one of his first 11 league games in charge.
That run is a distant memory now as Bournemouth has risen up to 10th in the standings.
The form of Solanke has been a big factor in that turnaround with eight goals in his last seven games.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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