Premier League Review – West Bromwich Albion 3-2 Crystal Palace

Match Facts

• Date – 27th February 2016
• Venue – The Hawthorns
• Attendance – 24,806
• Referee – Jon Moss
• Bookings – Dawson, Adebayor, Cabaye
• Goals – Gardner (12), Dawson (20), Berahino (31), Wickham (48, 80)
• Star Eagle – Connor Wickham (8.2)

Match Review

Ahead of this match up both teams were level on points in the Premier League and looking for the win.

Eagles boss Alan Pardew opted to stick with the same starting line-up that saw them through to the quarter finals of the FA Cup at the expense of Spurs. Much to fans disappointment, returning favourite Yannick Bolasie started on the bench following his cameo at White Hart Lane.

The hosts arguably had their best first half of the season while Palace had their worst which contributed to three goals for the Baggies putting them pretty much out of sight.

It was painful to watch a lacklustre Eagles team being opened up at will. First Craig Gardner scored after Wayne Hennessey saved a shot from Salomon Rondon, and then Craig Dawson doubled their lead with a header after finding himself in space from a soft free kick given away a short distance from the corner flag. An excellent team goal finished off by Saido Berahino looked to seal all three points with just half an hour gone but they were aided by some poor defending by the visitors.

Palace showed very little in the first half and no player can be without criticism. It was a half that we cannot see the likes of again this season and Pardew will know that more than anyone. He will also accept his share of the blame, it is the kind of manager he is.

The second half was more about Palace which started with the introduction of Yannick Bolasie who replaced Emmanuel Adebayor and there was the perfect start with Connor Wickham taking advantage of a defensive pause to run through on goal and score.

The Eagles were in the ascendancy and went at the Baggies sensing there were frailties to be exposed. Attacks led by the exciting Bolasie came off as Wickham scored a second with a stunning strike into the top corner.

There was just too much to do as West Brom held on for the win, making Palace pay for that awful first half. It could well have been a whole lot better though with two clear penalty shouts. The first a push on Scott Dann and the second a foul on Yannick Bolasie but referee Jon Moss was having none of it. Replays clearly show that both should have been awarded but that would have glossed over the terrible first half.

There were a few positives. Two goals from Wickham is certainly something to cheer even in defeat as well as more playing time for Bolasie as his rehabilitation after injury looks to be complete. A brief cameo from Dwight Gayle was also very good to see which will give us another option as we enter the run in to the end of the season. The much maligned Jordon Mutch battled well throughout epitomised by a run from one end to another to thwart a counter attack led by James McClean.

It is difficult to pin point what was wrong. There was no excuse for such an off par performance particularly for the players on show. Yohan Cabaye was receiving plenty of treatment throughout the game but he does give as good as he gets. Perhaps it is being over critical to suggest that he hits the floor too easy, a little like some of the home players during the game. Wilfried Zaha was not his usual self and both full backs struggled throughout.

A huge improvement will be needed for the trip to relegation threatened Sunderland on Tuesday evening. A loss will see us having to look over our shoulders at the bottom three and who would have thought we would have been saying that earlier in the season.

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TEB Verdict

Back to earth with a bump after the events in the FA Cup last weekend. A disappointing showing in the first half which left us too much to do for the rest of the game but they showed plenty of fight to get back into it. However, nothing can excuse such a poor opening forty-five minutes that Pardew will have to address and quickly.

Player Ratings (courtesy of Who Scored)

• Wayne Hennessey (6.5) – Could not do much with either of the three goals, but preferring to punch rather than catch and staying on his line is causing problems.
• Joel Ward (6.4) – Struggled in the left back position all night and had little chance to make much difference going forward.
• Scott Dann (6.6) – Not his usual assured game but continued to battle in the face of a first half onslaught but it is an out of sorts defensive unit at the moment.
• Damien Delaney (6.8) – Bruising encounter with the solid Rondon, one that he should relish but often second best.
• Martin Kelly (6.9) – Worked hard both defensively and going forward but the link up play with Zaha was not quite there.
• Joe Ledley (6.6) – A performance you come to expect from the Welsh midfielder even though looking stretched at times. Replaced by Mile Jedinak (6.1) on 81 minutes in a like for like change.
• Yohan Cabaye (6.4) – Not his greatest showing in a Palace shirt in the face of some harsh treatment from the hosts. Replaced by Dwight Gayle (6.1) on 80 minutes who found it hard to get involved in the limited time given.
• Jordon Mutch (6.6) – Played well with strong runs and link up play, uses the ball well and has an engine likened to McArthur.
• Wilfried Zaha (6.5) – Off day for the young winger who found it difficult to get into the game for long periods. More involved in the second half.
• Emmanuel Adebayor (5.6) – The two big men up front simply did not pay off. Booked for his troubles before being replaced by Yannick Bolasie (6.5) on 45 minutes who provided that much needed spark and excitement for the visitors.
• Connor Wickham (8.2) – A brace from the striker and well deserved for his hard work. The second was an excellent striker which will hopefully give him the confidence he needs to add to his tally for the season.

Unused substitutes – Julian Speroni, Adrian Mariappa, Yannick Bolasie, Mile Jedinak, Chung-yong Lee, Marouane Chamakh, Dwight Gayle

Match Statistics

The Who Scored man of the match was Baggies midfielder Craig Dawson (8.4) who also managed the most shots (6) and tackles (5). The most dribbles was shared between Wilfried Zaha and Stephane Sessegnon (3).

• Team rating: 6.89 – 6.54
• Total shots: 11 – 15
• Shots on target: 5 – 2
• Possession: 45.8% – 54.2%
• Pass success: 72% – 72%
• Dribbles: 9 – 8
• Aerials won: 29 – 26
• Tackles: 14 – 11
• Corners: 3 – 6
• Dispossessed: 8 – 7

Premier League Table