Rodriguez facing investigation as row sours West Brom victory
This could prove a farewell gift from Jonny Evans, as West Bromwich Albion finally ended their dreadful Premier League run.
Evans’s header set West Brom on their way to a first victory in 21 league games to breathe fresh hope into Alan Pardew’s survival mission, in what may be the Northern Ireland international’s last appearance for the club.
With Arsenal and Manchester City poised to move for the £20 millionrated defender this week, it was a goal which felt significant to Albion’s hopes of avoiding the drop.
West Brom had not secured three points in the league since Aug 22, but this was a deserved victory which eases the tension around the Hawthorns to give Pardew lift-off.
Yet the result is threatening to be tarnished by an incident involving Jay Rodriguez and the Brighton defender Gaetan Bong early in the second half, which is likely to prompt a Football Association investigation.
Rodriguez was reported to referee Martin Atkinson by the Cameroon international for an alleged remark, while the West Brom striker also appeared to pinch his nose. Both managers, Pardew and Chris Hughton, declined to expand on whether the allegation was racist. Hughton said: “Bong has reported Jay Rodriguez for something that was said to him. It’s being handled correctly by the referee.
“He’s aware of the allegation and that will go through to the FA. It was dealt with in the correct manner.”
Pardew insisted Rodriguez denied the allegation, which remained unclear last night, and was focusing on the first victory since his appointment in November. “Of course I’m relieved because it was a crucial game for us,” he said. “I thought the team played exceptionally well considering the pressure we were under.
“It was easy to say it was a must-win game but it was a very important game in the calendar. We worked hard to achieve the goals we wanted.”
West Brom took only four minutes to take the lead, Rodriguez flicking on Matt Phillips’s corner and Evans was waiting at the back post to head the ball home. Set pieces were West Brom’s trademark under Tony Pulis but Pardew had clearly identified Brighton’s weakness. Craig Dawson wasted a decent chance from another Phillips corner as the home team, backed by a boisterous crowd, dominated.
Gareth Barry, in particular, was outstanding as he had one of those afternoons where the ball seemed attached to his boot on a piece of string.
West Brom were frustrated on the half-hour mark when Glenn Murray clearly handled Phillips’s shot in the area but Atkinson was unmoved.
But the second goal finally came 10 minutes into the second half, from another set piece. This time it was from a Chris Brunt corner, finding Dawson whose header found a way past Anthony Knockaert on the line.
Brighton failed to respond, struggling to carve out any genuine openings, and Hughton appears on course for a relegation fight of his own. They have only won twice in their last 13 games and this was an alarming performance against a team previously down on their luck. Brighton are now three points above the dreaded dotted line and face champions Chelsea next weekend.
Hughton said: “They’re very strong from set plays, and we’re conceding too many goals from them. When you’re coming here to a club whose form has been indifferent the last thing you want to see is your team go behind early and the crowd involved.”