Mat muscles in with style
SLAVEN BILIC believes Matheus Pereira will add Midlands muscle to the Brazilian flair that illuminated his first start for West Brom.
Pereira crafted Albion’s first two goals as they came from behind to preserve their unbeaten league record this season.
Bradley Dack put Blackburn ahead after just 26 seconds, but Pereira turned the game around with his slick passing.
The attacking midfielder, on loan from Sporting Lisbon, carved open the Rovers defence to set up Matt Phillips for the equaliser, then teed up Jake Livermore to put Albion 2-1 ahead.
Grady Diangana added a third before the break and although Blackburn pulled one back through Bradley Johnson, they could not find an equaliser.
Pereira, 23, looks slightly built, but Bilic insists there is steel to match the swagger and said: “He’s not a showman, he wants to penetrate defences.
“He’s confident on the ball, he’s happy to be in the pocket, he sees everything, and he doesn’t mind defending either.
“I knew him from Germany last season. We wanted to sign him and he wanted to come here – and only here. We expected this from him and he has gelled straight away.
“I’m pleased because that’s six games unbeaten. It was our first home win and now we can have a few days off to recover. We deserved it”.
Dack made the most of a mistake by Kyle Bartley for his opener, but it then looked as though the visitors might be overwhelmed by the sweeping West Brom attacks that brought goals for Phillips and Livermore.
The best of the bunch was Diangana’s, the young West Ham loanee turning Darragh Lenihan, running half the pitch and dinking a delicious chip into the far corner.
Johnson thumped in Blackburn’s second just before the break after Albion failed to clear a free-kick.
Rovers boss Tony Mowbray was aggrieved that a Dack effort was ruled out for a push on keeper Sam Johnstone.
“I’m not sure the referee could see it,” said Mowbray, back at his old stomping ground.
“He was looking through nine men, I think. So he played it safe.
“Stewart Downing also hit the post, so we could have got a point.” WEST BROM BLACKBURN 8 ........ Shots on Target .........4 8 ........ Shots off Target ..........1 7 ................Corners ................. 3 15 ................. Fouls .................. 16 3 ............... Offsides ..................1 75.8..Passing Success % .. 72.8 389 ...... Total Passes ........ 397 49.9..... Possession % ...... 50.1 50.....Territorial Adv % ..... 50