Rooney and Rams lose it as Baggies return to top spot

WAYNE ROONEY was involved in an angry incident with the fourth official after new Championship leaders West Brom put a dent in his bid to drive Derby into the play-offs. Goals from Grady Diangana and Dara O’Shea took West Brom back to the top of the table, and Rooney had to be ushered away by Rams coach Liam Rosenior following a touchline row after he was substituted seven minutes from time. To anger Derby further, Louie Sibley was sent off in stoppage time for aiming a kick at O’Shea as the defender lay on the floor

— with Derby boss Phillip Cocu branding referee Jeremy Simpson’s display ‘a nightmare’. Cocu said: ‘I know what Rooney was annoyed about, the same as we were all annoyed about — that is how the referee was leading the game, or not leading the game. There was no red card.’ Cocu expects Derby to appeal against the club’s sixth dismissal of the campaign. Slaven Bilic’s Baggies carried far more menace than play-off chasing Derby. The win took West Brom back to the top, although Leeds will return there if they beat Stoke tonight. ‘The guys below are putting the pressure on us and Leeds but it’s nice to be back on the top,’ said Bilic, whose side are five points clear of third-placed Brentford. Albion’s pace in attack was telling. In the 11th minute, Diangana drifted in from the right to collect Kamil Grosicki’s pass, took the ball round goalkeeper Ben Hamer and squeezed it in from a tight angle. West Brom continued to threaten and Matheus Pereira could have won a penalty, but they had to wait until 14 minutes from time for a second. O’Shea’s run to the near post was not tracked, allowing the young full back to head in Pereira’s corner at the near post, a 20th league assist for the Brazilian. The frustration was too much for Cocu and he substituted Rooney, who berated the officials from the touchline before and after Sibley’s straight red for kicking out at O’Shea.