Baggies make own luck to clatter Leeds

Robson-kanu’s opener in the 51st minute and got his hands to Matty Phillips’ 67th-minute long-range attempt, but couldn’t stop the ball going in.

Harvey Barnes ran away and got a third eight minutes from time, but the pick of West Brom’s foursome was substitute Dwight Gayle’s backheel a minute later after Jay Rodriguez’s shot had been blocked.

Leeds got a goal back with Pablo Hernandez’s looping header in injury time, but it was too little, too late.

“It was important that the players dug in,” said West Brom boss Darren Moore.

“This win has given us a platform again now for the rest of the season. We played very well today. The plan was to try and take the game to Leeds and that’s what I thought we did.”

Moore shook up his team in answer to Albion’s poor spell, scrapping a three-man defence that has been punished recently, and adding an extra defender.

But no team have scored more in the Championship than West Brom and the emphasis was still on attack.

In the first half an hour it should have paid off through Tosin Adarabioyo. He had a brilliant chance to ease the Baggies’ nerves in the 13th minute.

Craig Dawson headed down Phillips’ corner but Adarabioyo, 12 yards out, hit his volley wide.

Robson-kanu also went close just before that, cutting inside and shooting over, and Barnes put one in the side netting while Rodriguez hit the bar in a bright start which was just what West Brom needed.

But the Baggies were warming up, although Whites manager Marcelo Bielsa thought the result flattered the hosts. “I thought the score was exaggerated,” he

said.