PULIS IS PURRING
Albion turn on the style as Hammers fall apart again
WHAT a difference a week makes. At Bournemouth last Saturday, West Brom fans had turned their ire on their underpressure manager, as chants of ‘Tony Pulis, your football is s***’ provided the stinging soundtrack to another disappointing defeat.
Seven days on, a rousing ovation greeted the final whistle of a remarkable game in which West Brom were 4-0 up inside 55 minutes. Pulis may even have appreciated the irony as Albion’s supporters provided the ‘Oles’ in the first half.
For West Ham manager Slaven Bilic, however, this was a haunting case of deja-vu as his side lost 4-2 for the second consecutive game after defeat by Watford last weekend.
This was not how West Ham envisaged the bold new era, with their brand new stadium and £52million summer spend. This represented a fourth defeat in five games and 11 goals conceded in the last three, leaving Bilic describing it as ‘his most difficult spell’ at the club.
West Brom, by contrast, can pause for air as Pulis eased the pressure on his own job to begin the era of new owner Guochuan Lai. West Brom had won one of their previous 13 Premier League games and scored only six goals during a confidence-sapping run stretching back to last season.
‘We played well at Bournemouth last week and probably created as many opportunities,’ Pulis said. ‘The difference is we’ve won the game and that changes people’s perceptions.’
But how his team were helped by West Ham here. West Brom did take their opportunities clinically and Nacer Chadli and Salomon Rondon impressed. At no point, though, did they have to produce the kind of exhilarating football you might imagine for a Premier League team that leads 4-0 early in the second half. Indeed, they only had 29 per cent of the ball during the whole game. Instead, West Ham selfdestructed with a serious of haywire defensive lapses. The first arrived inside eight minutes. Arthur Masuaku handled the ball to concede a free-kick on the right and Matty Phillips curled over the resultant set-piece. As the cross swung away from goal, Masuaku attempted to head the ball away but instead contrived to raise his arm and handled. Mark Clattenburg pointed to the spot and Chadli stroked home the penalty kick. West Ham became anxious. Dimitri Payet misjudged his control of the ball, Michail Antonio twice lost his footing trying to cross and Simone Zaza, on loan from Juventus, attempted a bicycle kick only to hit thin air and fall flat on his back. They did briefly threaten to equalise. Manuel Lanzini collected possession outside the penalty area, jinking away from two challenges before unleashing a thunderous effort that narrowly missed the top corner. Payet flickered into life, splitting the West Brom defence to pick out Antonio’s run from the left flank. Antonio controlled on his chest but his effort was smothered by Ben Foster. It appeared West Ham would soon be level, but then their defenders intervened once more. Angelo Onbonna was penned in at the left corner flag and under pressure from Phillips, his scuffed clearance struck the West Brom man. It was diverted across West Ham’s own penalty area, where Rondon (left) nipped in, took a touch and fired into the corner. Before half-time, two became three. Again, it was straightforward for the home side. A corner came in from the left and Collins’ clearance fell to Chadli. He struck the ball goalwards and James McClean stuck out a leg to sidefoot the it in.
‘Are you Villa in disguise,’ sang the home fans.
Bilic hooked the disappointing Zaza and captain Mark Noble and introduced Sofiane Feghouli and Jonathan Calleri. They started with greater intensity but rapidly self-harmed again. A corner of their own was taken short to Masuaku, whose low ball across the penalty area was intercepted. Inexplicably, West Ham’s whole team were positioned within 30 yards of the West Brom goal.
Darren Fletcher was able to slide a ball through to Rondon, who carried the ball 60 yards before teeing up Chadli to score his second. It was the first time West Brom had scored four in a league game for two years.
Bilic must have feared a landslide but Payet curled a splendid free-kick against the bar and Antonio headed in.
Moments later, the deficit had been halved as Payet tricked his way into the penalty box and was caught by young Brendan Galloway. Lanzini dispatched the spot kick.
As West Brom sat back, the visitors pressed but Pulis’s side saw out the storm and collected their first home win since March.