AUSTIN POWERS Charlie is spot-on as late goal sinks Owls yet again
WEST BROM 2 SHEFF WED 1
WEST BROM SHEFFWED 3 ........ Shots on Target ......... 2 4 ........ Shots off Target .........3 6 ................Corners .................8 10................. Fouls ................. 20 0 ............... Offsides ................ 0 83.0Passing Success % .. 71.1 412 ....... Total Passes ......... 315 56.3 .... Possession % ..... 43.7 45.7 ..Territorial Adv % .. 54.3
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY got turned over again — this time by super-sub Charlie Austin.
It took 74 minutes for Austin to get on the pitch but he hit the post in the 87th minute and then stayed cool to put the winning penalty past keeper Keiren Westwood a minute later.
Austin’s goal, only his second in the league since a £4million move from Southampton, kept West Brom two points clear at the top of the table but almost drove the visitors to tears.
It’s the third time in three games Wednesday have been done by late goals, Blackburn getting two at the death to win 2- 1 and Swansea finding an equaliser in the 94th minute at Hillsborough.
That’s six points dropped in three games and it was all too much for Wednesday defender Liam Palmer, who launched a tackle into Grady Diangana and was sent off two minutes into added-time. “I’m upset for the players and the travelling fans,” said Wednesday boss Garry Monk.
“It’s quite an uncanny situation – probably the first time in my managerial career where the last three games have been exactly like that.”
Wednesday, now four without a win and sliding away from the play-off places, did dominate and Steven Fletcher’s penalty pulled them level after Hal Robson-Kanu had scored in 10 minutes.
Morgan Fox hit the bar with a header and
Albion’s defence, led by Kyle
Bartley, was under big pressure.
The home side have conceded a goal in every home game they’ve played.
But this time it was a poor decision by Fi lip Krovinovic, who dallied and then brought down Kieran Lee for the penalty, that undid them.
“I expected this type of game, Sheffield Wednesday are hard but with quality,” said Baggies manager Slaven Bilic, who has only been beaten twice in the league all season. It was a great and important win for us.”
West Brom still look good for automatic promotion and are on a seven-game unbeaten run.
They coped being without their midfield two of Jake L iv e r m o re and Romaine Sawyers, and Robson-Kanu’s e a rly goal helped.
He took his chance like a man in form, running forward from
Diangana’s superb pass and put his left- foot shot through Westwood’s legs.
Robson-Kanu ( below, with Matheus Pereira) has scored four in his last six games and might have had two more in this one, a run that has kept Austin on the bench. But, like a tag-team, one took over from the other when Austin replaced Robson-Kanu.
Austin’s first chance, a header from Darnell Furlong’s cross, found the woodwork.
But Westwood had a rush of blood, came out of his goal and fouled the impressive Pereira.
Westwood tried to make up with a wonder save from Austin’s penalty. He got close but not close enough.