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- Burnley 2 Cardiff City 0: Two-goal Wood edges Clarets closer to safety
Burnley 2 Cardiff City 0: Two-goal Wood edges Clarets closer to safety
Chris Wood scored both goals as Burnley secured a crucial Premier League victory over Cardiff City.
Burnley took another giant stride towards Premier League survival as Chris Wood's brace sealed a hard-earned 2-0 win over Cardiff City at Turf Moor on Saturday.
New Zealand international Wood added a stoppage-time tap-in to his first-half header as Sean Dyche's side moved 11 points clear of the 18th-placed Bluebirds.
Cardiff, frustrated by unfavourable refereeing decisions in last month's loss to Chelsea, will feel they robbed of a potential point after having multiple penalty appeals turned down.
The most contentious decision was match officials Mike Dean's reversal of a penalty for handball against Ben Mee that left Neil Warnock incredulous and his team closer to the drop.
Wood issued an early warning when he nodded against the upright following Dwight McNeil's free-kick in the second minute.
The visitors failed to heed the lesson, letting the striker go untracked as he headed home winger McNeil's inswinging corner in the 31st minute.
Burnley should have been further ahead before the break, but Ashley Westwood squandered two one-on-one opportunities either side of the opener.
Cardiff displayed renewed vigour in the early stages of the second half and looked to have won a penalty when Mee headed the ball into his own arm, the defender having only moments earlier been struck in the hand by a close-range Harry Arter shot.
Referee Dean pointed to the spot followed the second incident but reversed the decision after consulting with his assistant referee, infuriating Warnock on the touchline.
Arter then skimmed a curling shot across the top of the crossbar, before an unmarked Junior Hoilett blazed over from Kenneth Zohore's cut-back.
Cardiff's frustration reached fever pitch at the death as Wood tapped in McNeil's deflected cross following claims that Bruno Ecuele Manga's shot struck James Tarkowski's arm at the other end.