BRISTOL CITY 0 WEST BROM 3
Sawyers was given a straight red card in the 77th minute for putting his hand on the throat of Jamie Paterson, even though he looked as if he was checking his pulse rather than trying to strangle him.
Bilic certainly thought it was ham acting all round – by the Robins substitute and the home bench – although Hal Robson-kanu’s second goal moments later must have felt like the sweetest retribution.
The Croat – who had to restrain his own staff from confronting Johnson on the touchline – claimed the red card was unnecessary and that the referee had been influenced by the reaction of the City manager and his bench.
Bilic (below) said: “OK, he grabbed him, but it’s not a red card. If it was, we would have them all the time. Their reaction had led to the sending off. Maybe I would react the same, I don’t know.
“But to win 3-0 here in this way, you have to have one of the most complete games of the season. That is what we did. The players look hungry, sharp and competitive. They are all pushing each other.”
Johnson, who must surely have felt angrier with his own team’s feeble effort to improve their play-off chances, claimed that by the letter of the law, his opposite number was on the wrong side of the argument.
“He’s wrong,” said Johnson. “It’s the rules of the game – that’s what it says. I’m there to protect the player. When I see hand around throat, I’m obliged to deal with it. If you did that in the street, you would be in trouble.
“It was unbelievable that the fourth official didn’t see it. But the assistant did and I can say 100 per cent that we had no influence.” In truth, the dismissal made no impact. West Brom were utterly dominant beforehand – and were rewarded by Robson-kanu’s first goal and an opener for Callum Robinson.
That dominance – given ballast by the impressive Jake Livermore in midfield – continued with 10 men as within seconds Robsonkanu jumped on a howler by Ashley Williams.
The former Wales captain made a mess of a back-pass and his ex-international colleague volleyed his second goal with a touch of genuine arrogance.
The Robins were complicit in
BRISTOL CITY
WEST BROM their own downfall. Keeper Dan Bentley fumbled for Robson-kanu’s first goal and the opener for Robinson again came from an error, although the Baggies striker enjoyed a bizarre rebound off his face.
Bilic added: “That performance ranks quite high in terms of our season, considering the strength of opponent. It felt like a derby game.
“We knew we would need a complete game to get anything. We did it with style, we were quite comfortable, and we limited them to one chance.”