ROO KICK-STARTS RAMS’ PLAY-OFF DRIVE
Pereira double puts the heat back on Leeds
WEST BROM picked the perfect moment to remember how to score and win again as they turned 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 – it was back on February 25, just before the shutdown.
Since then they had registered four successive blanks in the league to undermine their promotion bid.
But they moved to within a point behind of leaders Leeds and five clear of third-placed Brentford after on-loan Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Pereira scored twice and Charlie Austin converted a penalty.
The Baggies had to work hard against Garry Monk’s spirited Owls before they could show their class.
Wednesday demonstrated plenty of craft and graft in 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 the break. West Brom had to absorb Wednesday’s early pressure when Murphy crossed for Rhodes to shoot wide and Connor Wickham to go close with a header.
Adam Reach then 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 when Dominic Iorfa pushed over Dara O’Shea in the box as they challenged for a cross.
Referee David Webb took a few seconds to point to the spot and 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 thought they had pulled a goal back when Kadeem Harris cut in from the left and beat Sam Johnstone, only for his shot to hit the base of the post.
Pereira sealed victory with his second four minutes from time when he converted Kamil Grosicki’s cross at the back post.
MATCH STATS
WAYNE ROONEY gave a further shove to Derby’s play-off hopes with a second goal in five days as Preston continued in freefall.
Following his decisive penalty against Reading, the veteran striker’s pinpoint 18th-minute free-kick (circle) settled matters at Deepdale.
Victory moved Phillip Cocu’s team into seventh just a point away from the final play-off berth. “We have many more challenges to face this season because we play many of the top teams,” said the Rams manager of a run-in which sees them face five of the top six in half-a-dozen games.
“We are heading in the right direction, but we are not there yet. But we played some really good football, it was a great goal from
Wayne and we showed character when we needed to at the end.”
Cocu revealed that defender Andre Wisdom wished his team-mates good luck yesterday after being discharged from hospital following his stabbing in Liverpool at the weekend. While Derby’s hopes progress (celebrating, right), Rooney’s moment of quality ensured Preston’s jitters continue.
This was the second time in five days Alex Neil’s side have suffered the frustration of having opposition arrive and leapfrog them in the table following their 3-1 defeat by Cardiff.
It is now just one point in six games either side of lockdown. North End had hoped to mark the occasion of becoming the first club to play 5,000 league games with something more meaningful than a commemorative trophy from the EFL.
But they need to arrest a worsening slump fast. PRESTON: Rudd 6, Rafferty 5, Huntington 6, Davies 5, Hughes 5, Pearson 5 (Stockley 79, 6), Sinclair 6 (Barkhuizen 73, 5), Browne 4, Potts 4, Gallagher 5 (Harrop 73, 7), Nugent 4 (Maguire 59, 6)
DERBY: Hamer 5, Bogle 6 (Forsyth 65, 5), Evans 5 (Davies 83), Clarke 6, Lowe 5, Holmes 7 (Martin 65, 5), Rooney 8 MOTM (Malone 90), Bird 7, Knight 6; Waghorn 8, Sibley 8 (Shinnie 65, 6) REF: Jarred Gillett