HE’S OUR MODRIC
Bilic lavishes praise on his samba star Pereira
An ARROWED finish for the best goal of the game and a hand in the four others scored by west Bromwich albion: Matheus Pereira may be small in stature but he’s big on talent.
His manager slaven Bilic compared him to luka Modric, last year’s Ballon d’or winner, after the leadership of the Championship was reclaimed by making a mockery of swansea’s previously impregnable away record.
This match was billed as the irresistible force versus the immovable object: Bilic’s team unbeaten at the Hawthorns; swansea without defeat on the road since steve Cooper replaced graham Potter in the summer.
But here there was a chasm between the sides. in the 25th minute Pereira swung over a corner that kyle Bartley helped back across goal for semi ajayi to nod in. Then the 23-year-old Brazilian applied a sumptuous first- time finish to a flowing move also involving grady diangana and kieran gibbs.
asked where Pereira ranked in relation to other creative talents with whom he had worked, Bilic said: ‘is it a young Modric in Croatia? There is always enough room for good players on the ball but on the one condition that they work hard, so don’t forget this about Pereira.
‘of course, his forte is on the ball but you also have to be physical and good in defence and he is basically doing that.’
sam surridge’s scruffy far-post conversion from a corner halved swansea’s deficit but west Brom pulled two goals clear again a minute before the break when Pereira provided the first of a hat-trick of assists, offering Hal
Robson-kanu the chance to beat the offside trap and slot past Freddie woodman.
Cooper called swansea’s contribution to their own downfall naive. Having coughed up possession from their own throw- in for the third goal, captain Matt grimes was mugged in front of his back four by Pereira, who picked out Matt Phillips’ head with a delicious dinked cross for the fourth. substitute kyle Edwards was then teed up for the fifth.
Unlike last year when Harvey Barnes was recalled by leicester, west Brom will not lose their primary creative talent when the january transfer window opens in three weeks. Pereira’s loan deal from sporting lisbon becomes permanent for an overall fee of £9million next summer.
on this evidence, he will be a Premier league player by then.
a sixth consecutive win and a 16th home game undefeated — the club’s best run since 1920 — saw west Brom leapfrog leeds at the summit and open up a 10-point cushion over those in the play-off spots.
‘let’s be honest, it’s a good gap,’ said Bilic. ‘Unfortunately, it means nothing at the moment.’
There was hurt for west Brom in the second half as gibbs and Bartley went off due to a hamstring strain and a cut cheek respectively.
For swansea, it was the most emphatic of defeats.
‘The scoreline says it all. if you are going to be as naive as we were then you are asking for trouble,’ said Cooper.