BLUEBIRDS’ KAR CRASH
Grant sparks rout and sets Baggies on route to top
CARDIFF CITY 0 WEST BROM 4 Championship
KARLAN GRANT scored for the third time in two games to give West Brom their first win in Cardiff since 1974 and send the Baggies top of the table.
Cardiff have now lost four in a row in the league and the players and boss Mick McCarthy were booed off at half time and the final whistle.
Bluebirds fans made their views known by directing chants of, “You’re getting sacked in the morning” at McCarthy.
Grant was the architect of the win for a dominant West Brom, scoring a fine opener and forcing Cardiff defender Curtis Nelson to put through his own net in the second half.
Alex Mowatt and Matt Phillips rubbed salt in Cardiff wounds with late strikes in what was a hammering come the end.
City captain Sean Morrison’s decision to back off Grant on the edge of the box allowed the Baggies striker – who scored both goals a 2-1 win over QPR – to drive home emphatically.
Going behind after just five minutes was a nightmare start for underpressure Cardiff.
McCarthy had picked five centrehalves in a bid to keep West Brom quiet, but it did not work as City were overrun in midfield.
Only a superb stop from goalkeeper Dillon Phillips stopped Callum Robinson from making it 2-0, while at the other end Leandro Bacuna headed a rare effort towards goal.
West Brom had to produce some last-gasp defending to stop Bacuna from tapping home at the start of the second half when the Baggies nearly shot themselves in the foot.
Skipper Jake Livermore got back to save the day and it proved crucial as West Brom then made it 2-0. Grant’s cross from the left was clawed out by Phillips, Cardiff fluffed their chances to clear, and Nelson shanked an awful attempt to avert the danger into his own net.
Both sets of fans reacted by mocking McCarthy. Jordan Hugill missed a sitter which would have inflicted more pain on Cardiff, but a stunning third from Mowatt, a 25-yard half volley, was a deserved reward for the visitors. There was still time for Phillips to complete the rout with a simple finish.