Baggies have belief after Saints are sent packing
WEST Brom swept aside Southampton with a devastating display of finishing at the Hawthorns last night to keep alive their chances of staying in the Premier League.
Two goals in three first-half minutes – a Matheus Pereira penalty and a welltaken finish from Matt Phillips – and Callum Robinson’s second-half strike put them eight points from safety with seven games remaining.
But the Baggies have a growing confidence about them following this victory and the 5-2 win at Chelsea as they head into midlands derbies at Leicester and Aston Villa, before they entertain Wolves.
The black country club believed they had taken the lead in the fourth minute when Mbaye Diagne headed in from close range but the effort was controversially ruled out for offside.
Replays suggested the Senegal striker was in a legal position onside but the effort was disallowed because VAR’s cameras could not find the right angle to determine whether he was onside or not.
Danny Ings went close for Saints on three occasions as the West Brom defence began to creak before home goalkeeper Sam Johnstone saved well from Stuart Armstrong but the best chance fell to Diagne, who fired well wide when clean through.
The Baggies, however, then took a deserved lead with two quickfire goals. First, goalkeeper Fraser Forster conceded a penalty in the 32nd minute when he sent Pereira tumbling and the striker made no mistake from the spot. Then Diagne found Phillips at the far post three minutes later and he finished in style.
West Brom sealed victory in the 69th minute when Robinson surged through the middle before thumping a fierce finish past Forster. They concluded an impressive night in style when James Ward-Prowse’s injury-time penalty was beaten away by Johnstone as he dived at full-stretch to his left.