Birmingham City boss Gianfranco Zola has hailed Leeds United attacker Chris Wood.
Leeds’ Chris Wood celebrates scoring their first goal
Birmingham City boss Gianfranco Zola has told the Birmingham Mail that he felt Chris Wood ‘made a big difference’ in Leeds United’s 3-1 win at St. Andrews on Friday evening.
Leeds travelled to the Midlands on Friday night in search of another three points to boost their promotion push, and star striker Wood opened the scoring with a superbly-taken lob over goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak.
The hosts hit back when Craig Gardner beat Robert Green from long-range, but Wood struck again to grab his second of the game, and new signing Alfonso Pedraza scored his first goal for the club with Leeds’ third.
The result again pushes Leeds closer to securing a play-off place, and continued striker Wood’s superb season in front of goal under Garry Monk.
The New Zealand international has now taken his Championship goal tally for the season to 22, putting him clear of Newcastle’s Dwight Gayle in race for the Championship Golden Boot.
It’s a far cry from last season, when Wood was being criticised by fans for some frustrating performances, and he’s now Leeds’ main hope in their push for promotion back to the Premier League.
Birmingham manager Gianfranco Zola
After the final whistle at St. Andrews on Friday, Birmingham City boss Gianfranco Zola told the Birmingham Mail that he felt his side were ‘unlucky’, highlighting Wood’s influence on the result.
Zola suggested that Wood touched the ball three times and scored twice, claiming that he was the player who ‘made a big difference’ for Leeds.
“I think I have been more than a bit unlucky,” said Zola. “The result certainly doesn’t reflect what happened on the pitch. At the end of the day what has made the difference is the fact that on the other side there was a player that touched the ball three times and scored two. He [Chris Wood] made a big difference,” he added.
What did you think of Wood’s display against Birmingham?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
