CHRIS WOOD made Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe choke on his 40th birthday cake.
The big New Zealander terrorised the Cherries and could have had a first-half hat-trick.
Yet the one Wood did get on 37 minutes was the first goal the Dorset side had conceded in the Premier League for five hours and 46 minutes. And Robbie Brady well and truly blew out Howe’s candles with a 20-yard cracker just after the hour. Howe had postponed opening his birthday cards and presents yesterday because he wanted to concentrate on this match.
But the League’s youngest manager would not have enjoyed his belated celebrations because he didn’t like reaching this milestone in the first place. Sean Dyche’s Clarets however had plenty to celebrate as they claimed their fourth top-flight away win for the first time since the 1974-75 season. Dyche was besides himself on Sunday when Arsenal snatched an injury-time winner at Turf Moor. But there was no doubting this result as the visitors strangled the life out of a Bournemouth side which had lost one of their last six games.
Burnley nearly made the hosts pay for their early, nervy defensive attitude with a simple set-piece routine. Robbie Bradley’s fourth minute corner allowed the unmarked Ben Mee to head across goal for Wood to nod the ball onto the bar.
And the former Leeds striker threatened again 12 minutes later when the Clarets once again had the Cherries back pedalling. The trouble started when Harry Arter, making his 250th appearance for the Cherries since his £4000 move from non-League Woking, gave the ball away cheaply on the edge of the box.
Phil Barnsley’s tempting cross was missed by Brady but not Wood, whose stooping header was pushed over the bar by Bournemouth goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. Callum Wilson notched a hat-trick in the Cherries last home game which resulted in a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Huddersfield.
But Burnley were superbly marshalled from back to front and hardly gave Wilson and fellow striker Joshua King a sniff of a chance upfront. Yet another miss-placed pass by the home side allowed Wood to race clear and put a perfect pass on the plate for Jeff Hendrick. Just when Hendrick thought he had found the opening to score defender Steve Cook raced back to make a vital block. But Cook was soon made to pay for a double error of judgement which proved third time lucky for Wood.
The centre-back yet again gave possession away with a sloppy pass which presented Brady with a chance to cross.
His low effort into the box deflected off Cook’s challenge straight to the big New Zealander who side-footed home his seventh goal of the campaign.
From The Sun
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