West Brom proved why they are many people's tip for the Championship title with a clinical 4-2 victory over Charlton at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
The away side had reason to be confident having won the last 4 on the road, but suspensions to defenders Mills and Fortune alongside Grant Basey's injury forced Pardew's hand on team selection.
Midfielder Semedo took Mills' place as a makeshift right-back, Bougherra and Sodje were the central pairing, and Chris Powell recovered from injury to complete the defence on the left. Reid, Zhi and Holland made the centre of a 5-man midfield, Ambrose and the returning Thomas making up the width. Iwelumo continued his role as a lone striker, the match turning out to be an eventful one for him in particular.
As expected Tony Mowbray's side started the strongest, testing the Addicks defence twice in the first 10 minutes. Bougherra did well to clear a dangerous cross from Gera, and minutes later Chris Brunt went just wide with a thumping drive outside the box.
The Baggies almost broke the deadlock after a quarter of an hour. Bednar played a 1-2 with Gera and met the resulting cross with a fierce volley against the post. Bednar then turned provider for Gera minutes later, Gera failing to meet the cross under pressure from Powell.
Charlton did manage to create some opportunities as they tried to establish a foothold in the game, the best being a classy turn and curling 30-yard shot from Reid which just crept outside the far post. A long ball from the back almost released Reid minutes later, but the West Brom defence held firm and the danger averted.
The home side continued to apply the pressure, Brunt again going close with another strike. They came even closer from a corner as Weaver flapped at a punch and missed, although Chris Powell was well placed to clear the ball off the line.
With just over 10 minutes left in the half, Iwelumo appeared to turn his ankle chasing a through-ball. After lengthy treatment and strapping the target man continued to hobble through the half. He then made his time count with a goal against the run of play after some excellent work from Thomas. The winger turned the West Brom defence and lifted a tantalising high cross into the box. Iwelumo leapt and somehow turned his body to power the ball into the net, the unlikeliest of scorelines considering his fitness and the balance of play up to that point.
This didn't phase the home side, and It only took The Baggies seven minutes before they got back into the match. Bednar and Gera had been causing problems for the makeshift defence all game, and when Bednar received a threaded pass through the defence from Gera he cooly slotted past a poorly positioned Weaver for the equaliser.
Iwelumo should arguably have gone off before he scored to avoid further injury, and was finally replaced by Izale McLeod in the last 2 minutes of the half. Pardew will no doubt be anxious to find out the extent of the injury to a player who has been a key part of the campaign.
The second half began as the first left off, the home side continuing to attack and show why they are the highest scorers in this division.
Bougherra was lucky to stay on the pitch after leading with his arm into a challenge, but the luck finally ran out in the 49th minute. The impressive Brunt put a high ball to the back post which Powell should have been defending, but Gera was allowed to leap unchallenged to head past Weaver.
Charlton then showed the determination they've shown on previous travels as they battled to get back into the game. Ambrose came close to scoring, but could only toe-end to the keeper from a cross. The away side then had a penalty shout as Zhi charged into the box, although replays suggested the midfielder may have tripped over his own feet.
Luke Varney was introduced for the last 25 minutes, replacing Ambrose. Sankofa then replaced Reid as Pardew tried to shore up both the defence and midfield. The pace and running from Varney made an immediate difference, and minutes after coming on the striker was unlucky to poke over the bar from 10 yards after a smart run into the box.
Varney impressed further as he turned provider eight minutes later. His cross was met by McLeod, whose shot was poorly handled by the West Brom keeper as it rolled in for a deserved equaliser. 15 minutes remained and it seemed McLeod's long-awaited goal may have earned the Addicks a crucial point.
It wasn't to be though as Charlton's defence crumbled with West Brom pressing for the winner. In an identical goal to their second, Powell again failed to deal with a high cross from Brunt and Gera nodded in his second of the game.
McLeod then came close after a flick-on from Holland, and Weaver turned a goal-bound shot round the post with a fantastic save. West Brom made certain of the points from the resulting corner as Charlton failed miserably to clear. The ball fell to Kevin Phillips, who lashed home from close range to complete a convincing 4-2 scoreline.
The win was deserved – West Brom were the better team, and on this evidence look like the class of the division. Unfortunately for Charlton, results around the division also went against them. Wins for Stoke and Bristol City capped off a disappointing day for the Addicks, who drop to fifth in the table and 3 points off the automatic promotion spots.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment