Newcastle United’s £25m man answers Callum Wilson question after proving worth to Eddie Howe

Newcastle returned to Premier League action following the World Cup break with an impressive 3-0 win at the King Power Stadium. It was a sixth straight league win in a row, an 11th game unbeaten for Eddie Howe’s side and the club’s first Boxing Day win since 2013.

And it all started with a Chris Wood penalty just three minutes into the game.

The pre-match ‘groans’ at Leicester City

Just over an hour beforehand, you could almost feel the collective groan at Wood’s presence in the starting line-up as it meant Callum Wilson was out. The Magpies’ no. 9 was rested due to illness.

But any pre-game grumbles were quickly silenced as Wood stepped up after Joelinton was fouled inside the penalty area and blasted United into the lead against his former club. The strike was Wood’s third of the season in just his fifth start in all competitions – for a player whose goalscoring record has come under scrutiny on Tyneside, he has certainly proved to be a dependable option when called upon.

The fact he has almost never been injured since signing for the club has been an understated blessing for Newcastle given the injuries to both Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak. Even the one time Wood was forced off injured in the friendly match at Al Hilal, he was back in training once the squad returned from Saudi Arabia.

The 31-year-old may not be the first choice option to lead the line, but having a tried and tested Premier League centre forward ready to come in whenever called upon is a huge benefit to Howe, as was proven on Monday.

Newcastle United’s ‘good luck charm’

Wood’s strike at Leicester was his fifth goal since signing for the club from Burnley for £25million back in January. It was a deal that ultimately helped Newcastle survive in the Premier League with relative ease.

And all five of Wood’s goals for the club have contributed to Newcastle wins – he is yet to score in a draw or a defeat – proving himself somewhat of a good luck charm.

"I didn't know about that record but it's a nice thing, hopefully we can continue and keep that going,” he told The Gazette after the match. “It's all about the team and how we build and how we consistently get better.

"We came on so much from the Bournemouth performance last week. It's another step in the right direction, we just want to keep doing that.”

Wood has also scored all five penalties he’s taken since arriving for the club. Two in Premier League matches, one in a Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out and two more in friendlies.

Is Chris Wood Newcastle United’s designated penalty taker?

It would seem Callum Wilson has some stiff competition to be penalty taker should both strikers find themselves on the pitch at the same time.

“I'm very confident in those situations as all our strikers are,” Wood admitted. “It's a good opportunity for me and for the team."

But when pressed on whether he’d take a penalty ahead of Wilson, Wood replied: “It's one of those, we're both confident to take it.

"It's just as well that it's probably very rare that we're going to both be on the pitch at the same time anyway. It's nice to put it away and help the team put in a great performance.”

Hard work pays off

Aside from his goal, Wood’s positional sense to drop deep and cover his more mercurial team-mates paid dividends once more as he cut out a Leicester attack before it could really start with an expertly-timed sliding tackle Sven Botman would be proud of.

Further goals from Miguel Almiron and Joelinton in the first half helped Newcastle secure a comfortable Boxing Day win. No Premier League side has lost more Boxing Day matches than Newcastle, but this was yet another sign that times are changing at the club as they moved up to second in the table.

"It's a nice performance to get back on track in the league,” Wood commented afterwards. “It's all about getting mentally ready for the game which was a game between two good teams so it was about being prepared to take the second part of the season on and thankfully we were ready.

“It shows the character of the lads in the group. The staff were ready and raring to go but it's a big campaign and the second part of the season is going to be tough, it's a long one. We're only just over a third of the way through so it's going to take a lot of hard work.”

A new cult hero emerging at Newcastle?

While Wood hasn't quite been front and centre of the club’s phenomenal turnaround in 2022, he has never been too far away. As such, he’s a player that will always be associated with one of the best years in United’s recent history.

While he may not have the reputation of Alexander Isak or the scoring record of Callum Wilson in black and white, Wood is a player that hasn’t let the club down when called upon.

"I mean that's what it is at the moment and being ready to go when needed,” Wood added. “When Callum is not here I want to keep challenging and keep pushing for his starting spot. I'm going to do that with good performances and goals so I need to keep adding that to my game.”

A professional, well-liked and well-respected character who hasn’t scored as many goals as he would have liked but every goal has been important as it has helped secure a Newcastle win. It’s still early stages for Wood as he approaches a year on Tyneside, but he has the ingredients required to make himself into a cult hero in this new era.