DYCE AND EASY
Saints buried by Big Sam’s battlers
SAM ALLARDYCE looks to have come up with the magic formula – trouble is it all looks a bit too late.
The Premier League’s most revered firefighter is dousing the flames in spectacular fashion but the house looks to have burned down.
West Brom followed up one of the shock results of the season – the 5-2 destruction of Chelsea – with their biggest home win of the campaign.
It was the first time they have strung two wins together this season but you cannot help feeling that they will need another five victories from seven to have a chance of staying up.
Allardyce said: “We’re still fighting. I hope it gives my players hope because it was a fantastic win but it still might not be enough. We were brilliant at Chelsea and now another outstanding performance like this.
“We are making people’s ears prick up and thinking just how good we are and how well we’re playing. Unfortunately for us we’ve got to rely on other teams losing and just see how far we can get.”
They even managed to brush aside another controversial VAR decision which cost them a ‘goal’ Stockley Park got their crossed – quite literally. Mbaye Diagne was not offside but the VAR rulers could not get a line on his upper body so the on-field decision stood, which left Allardyce groaning: “VAR was massively at fault. It was clearly a goal. Something has to be done.” But there is just no stopping the Baggies – even when Southampton won a stoppage-time penalty, Sam Johnstone guessed right to beat away James Ward-prowse’s spot-kick. Although Big Sam’s men led 2-0 at the break, they could easily have had after lines
■ (right) five as they ravaged the limp visitors. Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “It was a non-performance.
“When you make it that easy for opponents, it’s not a surprise to find yourselves 2-0 down.”
Albion could not do much about the VAR ruling but they only had themselves to blame for not being home and hosed by the interval.
Matheus Pereira should have done better with a header and Diagne steered a shot hopelessly wide.
How costly that might have proved when only Johnstone’s acrobatics kept out a Stuart Armstrong shot to preserve the hosts’ lead. They went ahead in the 32nd minute from a penalty after keeper Fraser Forster sent Pereira crashing.
Pereira rammed the kick down the middle and three minutes later they doubled their lead when Danny Ings gave the ball straight to Diagne, who curled it across to the far post where Matt Phillips slid in to rifle into the roof of the net.
Callum Robinson added the third with a cool left-foot finish after Okay Yokuslu sliced Saints open with a perfect through ball on 69 minutes.
WEST BROM (4-4-2): Johnstone 8; Furlong 8, O’shea 7, Bartley 8 (Ajayi 85), Townsend 7; Phillips 7, Yokuslu 7, Maitland-niles 7, PEREIRA 8, Robinson 7 (Gallagher 72), Diagne 7 (Robson-kanu 72).
SOUTHAMPTON (4-4-2): Forster 7; Walker-peters 7 (Djenepo 87), Bednarek 6, Vestergaard 6, Bertrand 6; Ward-prowse 6, Diallo 6, Armstrong 7, Walcott 7 (Adams 75); Redmond 7, Ings 6 (Tella 85).
REFEREE: Simon Hooper 7.