Baggies back on top-flight form
ALBION CLOSE ON LEEDS
WEST BROM picked the perfect moment to remember how to score and win again to turn up the heat on Leeds in the title race.
Slaven Bilic’s Baggies needed a calendar to look up when they last picked up three points in the Championship and it was back on February 25, just before the shutdown.
They had been socially distancing from the goal in the league since then and they had registered four successive blanks to undermine their promotion bid.
But they are back on the goal trail after on-loan Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Pereira scored twice and Charlie Austin converted a penalty.
West Brom have moved to within a point behind of leaders Leeds and five clear of thirdplaced Brentford.
The Baggies had to work hard against Garry Monk’s spirited
Owls before they could show their class. Wednesday showed plenty of craft and graft through Jacob Murphy and Barry Bannan respectively but paid for their lack of a cutting edge.
Jordan Rhodes had an evening to forget and was hooked by Monk at half-time.
West Brom had to absorb Wednesday’s early pressure when Murphy crossed for Rhodes to shoot wide and Conor Wickham to go close with a header.
Adam Reach fired wide before he was halted by a brilliant tackle from Kieran Gibbs. West Brom found their stride to take the lead from the penalty spot in the 37th minute after Dominic Iorfa pushed Dara O’Shea over in the box as they challenged for a cross.
Up stepped Austin to slot home his 10th goal of the season and the Baggies’ first in 442 minutes of league action.
The Owls responded and Iorfa headed Murphy’s corner into the ground and over the bar.West Brom went up through the gears and scored a fine second goal in the 58th minute when Gibbs sent over a curling cross from the left for Pereira to head home. Wednesday looked like pulling a goal back when Kadeem Harris cut in from the left and beat Sam Johnstone, only for his shot to hit the post.
Pereira sealed victory four minutes from time when he converted Kamil Grosicki’s cross at the back post.
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY (3-5-2): Wildsmith 6; Iorfa 5, Palmer 6, Odubajo 7; Murphy 7, Bannan 7 (Hunt 87), Luongo 5 (Lee 61, 6), Reach 6 (Nuhiu 61, 5), Harris 7; Rhodes 4 (Da Cruz 45, 6), Wickham 6.
WEST BROM (4-5-1): Johnstone 6; O’Shea 7, Bartley 6, Hegazi 6, Gibbs 7; Pereira 8 (Livermore 87), Harper 7 (Ajayi 87), Krovinovic 6 (Grosicki 70, 6), Diangana 6 (Robinson 55, 6), Sawyers 7; Austin 7 (Robson-Kanu 70, 6). Goals: Austin 37 pen, Pereira 58, 85.