West Brom ended a 20-match winless streak in the Premier League with victory over Brighton, thanks to goals from defenders Jonny Evans and Craig Dawson.
The unmarked Evans put the Baggies ahead early on when he arrived at the back post to head in Jay Rodriguez's flick-on from a Matt Phillips corner.
The hosts added a second from another corner shortly after half-time when Dawson beat Gaeten Bong to Chris Brunt's outswinger to head home powerfully.
The victory was Alan Pardew's first in the league since he replaced Tony Pulis in charge at The Hawthorns at the end of November.
The only negative for the Baggies was an allegation made by Bong after a gesture from Rodriguez which will be included in the referee's report to the Football Association.
After an argument with Bong, Rodriguez pinched his own nose, prompting an angry reaction from the Brighton defender.
Referee Martin Atkinson did not take any action on the pitch but made a note of the incident and consulted fourth official Tony Harrington.
Brighton only fleetingly threatened the West Brom goal as they made it six away league games without a goal.
Jose Izquierdo curled wide from the edge of the area in the first half, and Anthony Knockaert lifted a shot over after a well-worked move.
The Seagulls slip from 12th to 15th spot while West Brom remain in the relegation zone in 18th place, but are only two points behind 17th-placed Bournemouth.
No comments:
Post a Comment