West Bromwich Albion. What are you doing with us
For the second time in nine days, Sam Allardyce’s swashbuckling Baggies brought another Premier League opponent to the sword – this time Southampton – as they reminded Newcastle United that they are not quite finished.
In a first half full of VAR controversy – more on that later – Albion took the lead by two goals thanks to Matheus Pereira and Matt Phillips.
Despite pressure from a team from the second half, Albion killed them when Callum repeated Robinson Pereira’s performance and scored his third goal in two games.
Within minutes of kick-off, Albion, who was clearly still in the mood to tear Chelsea apart on his own field last weekend, encountered his rather shocked visitors.
The passing, the movement, the intensity, and the desire to regain possession were refreshing, but the lack of precision in the final third – coupled with an absurd VAR decision – meant Albion had to wait to overcome the impasse.
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Phillips had a couple of orifices, and Robinson bent a shot from a narrow angle before the highly controversial moment; Phillips disrupted Pereira’s sweet free-kick and fired a shot on goal, which Fraser Forster parried against Darnell Furlong, who fired a shot into himself. Diagne took the mildest header into the corner of the net, but the offside flag went off.
Fair enough the officer has a snap to make a decision. We have VAR to fall back on, right?
Those at Stockley Park, the Kevin Friend and Simon Beck team, couldn’t find a nook that clearly showed whether Diagne’s torso was offside or offside, so they stuck to the decision on the field. Diagne was on the side by all accounts, while teammate Kyle Bartley – who didn’t interfere with the game – was the one who was offside.
Admirably, Albion was not dampened by this controversy. Stuart Armstrong and Danny Ings fired warning shots, but these proved irresistible as an attacking force.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles, best performing in what may be his best yet in a striped shirt, was thrown to the right and made his way towards the storming Pereira, who was rattled by Forster. He wiped himself off and hit the penalty in the middle.
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On the subject of matching items
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On the subject of matching items
Albion, closely watched by Allardyce and tirelessly encouraged by assistant Sammy Lee, was not resting on her laurels. Diagne, missing a tremendous chance to hit himself while playing on goal, burst the ball forward and played a nice ball across the face of the goal. Phillips was there to put the finishing touches on.
The second half consisted of chalk and cheese, almost from the start. Heading ahead of their hosts before the restart, Southampton discovered a pace they hadn’t picked up in the first half.
Indeed, major spells of the second 45 were played exclusively in Albion’s half, with rare forays to ease the pressure. Furlong, Townsend and O’Shea presented well-timed challenges, but Albion got lost in midfield and beyond.
The crisp passing and the smooth exchange were lost. Diagne and Robinson were not as influential as they were before. Even Yokuslu misplaced passports – previously unknown.
Fortunately, Albion hit gold at the perfect time to crush any hopes of a comeback in Southampton. Yokuslu picked a teammate with great impact this time as he opened up the opposing defense beautifully and Robinson raced on it. With his most recent form in front of goal, you fully expected the striker to rattle the net – and he duly promised to do so.
Albion was a great value for that win, arguably their most complete performance of the season, but there was still a collective sigh of relief as 2 turned into 3 to ensure the points stayed in the West Midlands.
Albion are still eight points behind but they have now scored as many goals in two games and have six points in the process. What can they achieve in the remaining seven games? It’s Leicester next.
Here are our Albion player ratings.
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Johnstone 9
A safe pair of hands. Parried a stabbing Armstrong ride and called for a potentially dangerous rebound in the penalty area from a corner in Southampton. Despite all the dominance of the saints in the second period, he was hardly alarmed. Wonderful salvation from Ward-Prowse’s sentence. Also a clean sheet.
Furlong 9
Could have wished Diagne hadn’t distracted his efforts! Furlong might have hit himself. He was constantly present in the last third and had a good opportunity to test Forster on another occasion. Defensively, it was as good as we saw him – certainly at this level. The timing of some of his tackles was excellent.
Bartley 9
Won everything in the air, be it halfway or in the penalty area, against the comparatively minor attack by Ings, Redmond and Walcott. When the Saints were enjoying a really dominant spell, Bartley stood firm. Probably as a precaution, removed towards the end with the stitched game.
Mbaye Diagne found the net for West Brom against Southampton but his attempt was controversially ruled out due to offside
(Image: PA)
O’Shea 9
Good to see the young Irishman pulled through after an injury that forced him last week. Allardyce nodded to the impressive Ajayi and it was justified. Fearless in the air duel and some of its challenges were deliciously crispy.
Townsend 8
Caught once in possession of the field and sold as a dummy by Walker-Peters on his branch line, but otherwise Townsend has been as healthy as it has been for months. An excellently executed challenge is remembered. His recovery from out of position has been admirable. The penal license a stain on his notebook.
Day 8
As always, a pleasure to see. The way he clears opposing midfielders in such a calm and measured manner is a real quality and of course, as we now know, he has an eye for a pass once he has won it. The through ball to seal the deal for Robinson was exquisite.
Maitland-Niles 9 *
A sterling first half. Energy, quick feet to walk with your quick mind. His passage through the lines caused Ward-Prowse and Diallo a myriad of problems constantly facing their own goal.
Took a cracking fall in the second half but continued. Earned his man of the game on a night when a number could have justified it.
Phillips 9
Tony Pulis always said that Phillips was the type of gamer whose performance was determined by his confidence at the time. He’s in rich form right now, as purple as it has been in a while, and his goal marked that. Work as hard as an Albion man behind the ball when the opponent is in possession.
(Image: PA)
Pereira 8
The goal contribution via goals themselves or assists for teammates now brings him to the territory of Odemwingie and Lukaku in relation to the Albion League highs. It’s a list that Pereira belongs on. Pereira played a more central role here, buzzing across the surface of the Hawthorns.
Robinson 8
Deserves its start here. There were a few passes in the counterattacks that didn’t quite find their target, but in general, Robinson played a role in most of the things Albion did well. His awareness of reading Yokuslu’s passport and closing it wisely showed his confidence at the gate.
(Image: PA)
Diagne 7
Tough night for the striker who was superb on the bridge. First a goal was taken from him by the VAR officials and then he missed another big chance when he missed a sitter when he scored the goal. His pass to Phillips’ goal, however, was on the money.
Subs
Gallagher (for Robinson 72)
Helped grab midfield and made it a little harder for Southampton who were pushing forward.
Robson canoe (for Diagne 76)
Ajayi (for Bartley 84)
Unused subs: Button, Peltier, Gibbs, Livermore, Grant, Diangana
Southampton: Forster; Walker-Peters (Djenepo 87), Vestergaard, Bednarek, Bertrand; Ward-Prowse, Diallo, Redmond, Armstrong, Walcott (Adams 76); Ings (Tella 87)
Unused subs: McCarthy, Stephens, Minamino, Salisu, Ferry, Jankewitz
GATES
Albion – Pereira pin 32, Phillips 35, Robinson 69; Southampton
The referee: Simon Hooper