Baggies wishes Granted
KARLAN CAPS STROLL BACK INTO AUTO SLOTS
WEST Brom cruised to victory in a game severely delayed by both on- and off-field medical concerns.
Goals from Jordan Hugill, Kyle Bartley and Karlan Grant were more than enough to see off the below-par visitors.
Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson admitted: “We were miles off it in many areas. West Brom could have been out of sight pretty quickly.
“It would be ungenerous of me to not compliment them on how well they played though.”
But Baggies boss Valerien
Ismael wasn’t totally happy, despite seeing his side go back into second.
He said: “We should have scored more goals. We had 23 shots and only nine on target. That’s not good enough, because a quality team will punish you.”
By half-time Albion were comfortably in front in a game already running 25 minutes late.
Kick-off had been delayed by quarter-of-an-hour due to a spectator needing medical attention.
There was a further 10-minute hold-up while City’s Nathan Baker received treatment and was then stretchered off with concussion after colliding with his own keeper. Hugill opened the Baggies’ account with a slick rightfoot shot finish in the eighth minute after great work by Matt Phillips and Darnell Furlong.
But he should have had a second minutes later when Conor Townsend set him up for a close-range finish he crashed into the post.
In the 16th minute Hugill blazed an angled effort over and shortly before the break he ran clean through on goal but keeper Daniel Bentley managed to divert it wide.
Just before that, Bentley had been beaten by Robert Snodgrass’s clever shot which dipped over him but struck against the inside of the post, and to safety.
City had only managed one real effort, Nahki Wells ramming the ball home only to be judged offside.
And minutes before the break, they fell further behind to Albion’s wellknown long throw threat – Furlong hurling it goalwards for Bartley to glance a header into the far corner.
Then more disruption – the second half kick-off delayed by 10 minutes as an away supporter received medical attention before being stretchered away.
Bartley almost had a second in the 50th minute with another header rifling towards the bottom corner before keeper Bentley managed to smother.
But a minute later Albion got the third when Grant seized on an under-hit back pass by Danny Simpson and curled the ball over and around a stranded Bentley. WEST BROMWICH ALBION: Johnstone 7; Ajayi 7, Bartley 8, Clarke 7(Bryan 82); Furlong 7, Molumby 7, Snodgrass 7, Townsend 7(Reach 85), Phillips 7(Robinson 61, 5), Hugill 7, Grant 7
(Diangana 63, 5). Subs not used: Button, Kipre, Gardner-hickman. BRISTOL CITY: Bentley 6; Kalas 5, Atkinson 5. Baker 5 (Pring 23, 6); Tanner 4 (Simpson 34, 4),Dasilva(o’dowda 63, 5), James 5, Massengo 5(Bakinson 88), Weimann 5; Wells 6, Martin 7. Subs not used: O’leary, Bell, Scott. MAN OF THE MATCH: Kyle Bartley. Absolute giant at back and knows the way to goal. REFEREE: Joshua Smith 6.