HAMMERS NAIL WIN...AS BIG SAM RUES BLUNDER
ONLY time will tell which was more costly. The five-second brain freeze which put West Brom on course for a painful defeat last night, or Big Sam’s big mouth giving the Baggies another headache before a ball was even kicked. West Ham certainly won’t thank him, even after they took three points. Michail Antonio’s second winner in four days booted David Moyes’s concerns over a new striker down the road and ensured the Hammers reached their best ever Premier League points tally at the halfway stage. But the man who was really left under the spotlight’s glare had earlier sat among the empty seats of the London Stadium. Robert Snodgrass moved from West Ham to West Brom earlier this month. He missed this match, Allardyce explained before kick-off, because of a gentlemen’s agreement. ‘We could only get the deal done with that,’ he said. It was a casual revelation that pricked ears at Premier League HQ. They are now looking into whether any regulations have been breached. Rule 1.7 states: ‘No club shall enter into a contract which enables any other party to that contract to acquire the ability materially to influence its policies or the performance of its teams in league matches.’ The clubs insist it was an informal pact and afterwards both bosses stayed tight-lipped. Allardyce insisted: ‘Whether Robert played or not, it wouldn’t have had any hand in the two goals we conceded.’ And he was probably right. The former Hammers boss rued the lapse in concentration that saw Jarrod Bowen open the scoring with virtually the last kick of the first half. Matheus Pereira levelled with a rocket after the break, before Antonio ensured West Ham nailed the win. West Brom have now conceded 43 goals. Only three teams have ever been as leaky at this point of a season. All were relegated. WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Fabianski 6.5; Coufal 6.5, Dawson 6.5, Ogbonna 6, Cresswell 7; Rice 7, Soucek 6; Bowen 7, Lanzini 6.5 (Fornals 62min, 6), Benrahma 6.5 (Yarmolenko 62, 7); ANTONIO 7.5 (Noble 84). Subs not used: Randolph, Diop, Johnson, Alves, Fredericks, Balbuena. Scorers: Bowen 45, Antonio 66. Manager: David Moyes 6.5. WEST BROM (4-4-1-1): Johnstone 6; O’Shea 6.5, Ajayi 5.5, Bartley 6.5, Gibbs 6; Gallagher 6, Livermore 5.5 (Robson-Kanu 80), Sawyers 6, Grosicki 6 (Furlong 70, 6); Pereira 7; Robinson 7.
Subs not used: Button, Kipre, Ivanovic, Field, Peltier, Edwards, Krovinovic. Scorer: Pereira 51. Booked: Gallagher. Manager: Sam Allardyce 6. Referee: Graham Scott 6.