LONDON (REUTERS) - West Bromwich Albion were relegated from the Premier League on Sunday (May 9) after a 3-1 loss at Arsenal sent them straight back down to the Championship after one season in the top flight. The defeat left the Baggies in 19th place with 26 points, 10 points behind fourth-bottom Burnley with only three games left to play. It is the first time manager Sam Allardyce has suffered relegation from the Premier League during his 17 campaigns. West Brom started brightly but struggled to move the ball into good attacking positions, and when they did they failed to get their efforts on target. Arsenal, on the other hand, put on a brilliant display of finishing to condemn them to the drop. Emile Smith Rowe connected perfectly with Bukayo Saka’s cross in the 29th minute to deftly volley Arsenal’s opener, and Nicolas Pepe cut in from the right before curling home an unstoppable left-foot shot six minutes later. Pepe had another thumping effort saved by Sam Johnstone early in the second half and, with Saka carving West Brom open down the left, Arsenal had lots of chances to add to the score. However, Matheus Pereira pulled one back for the visitors in the 67th after a surging run from deep inside his own half ended with him scoring from West Brom’s only shot on target. That was all the Baggies could muster and Willian’s brilliant 90th-minute free kick wrapped up the points for Arsenal, who are in ninth place on 52 from 35 games. West Brom will join basement club Sheffield United, who are already down, in the second-tier next season, but defender Kyle Bartley was in defiant mood despite his side’s relegation. “(I’m) massively disappointed, (but) it’s time to focus on these next three games, get as much momentum as possible to make sure we come straight back up next season,” he told BT Sport. “I am really proud of the way the boys kept going. It would have been so easy to fold out there and lose four or five nil, but everyone kept going.” Third-bottom Fulham host Burnley on Monday knowing a defeat would also send them straight back down to the Championship.
BIRMINGHAM (REUTERS) - Aston Villa substitute Keinan Davies scored in stoppage time to snatch a 2-2 draw at home to Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion in their Premier League clash on Sunday (April 25) with the outcome doing neither side any favours. The result dented West Brom's forlorn hopes of avoiding relegation as they stayed 19th on 25 points from 33 games, nine adrift of the safety zone, while Villa's fading bid to clinch a European spot also faltered as they stayed 11th on 45 from 32. Anwar El Ghazi fired Villa ahead with a ninth-minute penalty after Semi Ajayi fouled Ross Barkley as the home side pegged the Baggies back early on. After weathering the storm, West Brom levelled in the 22nd when Matheus Pereira drilled a penalty past Emiliano Martinez, with Ezri Konsa having hauled down Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Chances went begging at either end before the visitors' Mbaye Diagne took advantage of a Konsa error and raced clear to beat Martinez with a low shot which was took a heavy deflection off Tyrone Mings in the 48th minute. There were more chances and brilliant saves at both ends before Davies, who had rattled the post in the 86th minute, capitalised on a defensive mix-up between defender Kyle Bartley and keeper Sam Johnstone and to poke home the equaliser.
LEICESTER, UNITED KINGDOM (AFP) - Leicester blitzed West Brom 3-0 on Thursday (April 22) to strengthen their grip on a Premier League top-four place and snuff out the Baggies' revival. Brendan Rodgers' men were wobbling after losing their previous two top-flight matches but produced a dazzling attacking display against the insipid visitors at the King Power Stadium. First-half goals from Jamie Vardy, Jonny Evans and Kelechi Iheanacho gave West Brom a mountain to climb and Leicester kept a firm grip on the match after the break. Third-placed Leicester, whose implosion at the end of last season cost them a Champions League place, now have a valuable four-point lead over Chelsea and West Ham, with just six games to go. James Maddison made his first start since February as the FA Cup finalists took a firm grip of the match and they could easily have scored six goals in a one-sided opening 45 minutes. Sam Allardyce's West Brom had beaten Chelsea and Southampton to give them hope of a dramatic escape from the relegation zone but they remain in 19th spot, nine points from safety, and look doomed. Vardy ended his two-month goal drought when he swept in Timothy Castagne's pass after the pair had broken clear, putting the Foxes in front midway through the first half. It was Vardy's first goal in 12 appearances for Leicester in all competitions, ending his longest run without a goal for the club since 2016. Defender Evans doubled the home side's lead against his former club in the 26th minute when he headed in Youri Tielemans' corner. Iheanacho continued his fine form, making it 3-0 when he collected Vardy's pass and fired past Sam Johnstone. It could have been even worse for the Baggies. A heavy touch from Iheanacho cost him when he was through one on one with Johnstone and he later fired over from close range while Castagne hit a post. Leicester maintained their grip on the game in the second half but lacked their earlier sharpness in attacking areas. West Brom were a sporadic threat as the game wore on but never seriously threatened a comeback as Leicester celebrated a vital three points.
WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND (REUTERS) - Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League table in emphatic fashion on Tuesday (Jan 26) by crushing West Bromwich Albion 5-0 at the Hawthorns. City, who scored three goals in the opening half hour, have 41 points, one more than rivals Manchester United who have also played 19 games and will return to the summit if they beat bottom club Sheffield United at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Ilkay Gundogan put City ahead in the sixth minute, showing great control as he collected a pass from Joao Cancelo and curled a shot into the far corner. Cancelo then made it 2-0 with another fine strike into the same corner, although West Brom were unhappy that the assistant's flag had been raised before his shot. The impressive Gundogan added his second and City's third on the half-hour, when he robbed Romaine Sawyers on the edge of the box, danced past Dara O'Shea and fired home. On the stroke of halftime, Riyad Mahrez made it 4-0 with a trademark strike, cutting in from the right and blasting a left-foot shot into the far top corner past the helpless Sam Johnstone. Mahrez turned provider after the interval, with his low ball across the face of the penalty area tapped in from close range by Raheem Sterling in the 57th minute. The win was Pep Guardiola's team's 11th straight victory in all competitions. Struggling West Brom remain second-bottom on 11 points, six points from the safety zone. They have conceded 22 goals in their last five home league games, the most a team have conceded across five top-flight matches since Aston Villa in December 1935 (22).
LONDON (REUTERS) - A rare Kieran Tierney goal, a superb team effort finished by Bukayo Saka and a brace from Alexandre Lacazette gave Arsenal their third Premier League win in a row as they beat West Bromwich Albion 4-0 in snowy conditions on Saturday (Jan 2). Fullback Hector Bellerin signalled Arsenal's attacking intent with an early effort that was parried by Sam Johnstone before Tierney cut in from the left and curled home his second goal for Arsenal in the 23rd minute. With his direct running and superb close control, teenage winger Saka tormented West Brom throughout, and he combined brilliantly with Lacazette and Emile Smith-Rowe before tapping home a simple second goal for the visitors five minutes later. West Brom finished the first half strongly and had an early second-half strike ruled out for offside before Arsenal took control of the game again, never to relinquish it. Saka's cross on the hour mark was volleyed on to his own post by Semi Ajayi and Smith-Rowe's follow-up was blocked, but Lacazette blasted home to make it 3-0 as the Baggies' woeful defence, which with 39 goals conceded is the leakiest in the league, fell apart once again. Minutes later it was 4-0 as the tireless Tierney crossed for Lacazette to steer the ball home with his shin to complete the comprehensive victory. "The perfect way to start the New Year, we've won three in a row so we want to keep building. We're really happy with the performance," Saka told the BBC. "It was so cold but I was getting so many touches in good positions, so I enjoyed the game a lot." The win lifts Arsenal to 11th place in the table on 23 points, six points off the European places. West Brom remain second from bottom with eight points after 17 games.
WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND (REUTERS) - A farcical early own goal from Romaine Sawyers summed up a miserable day for West Bromwich Albion as the Premier League strugglers were thumped 5-0 by Leeds United on Tuesday (Dec 29). Further first half goals from Ezgjan Alioski, Jack Harrison and Rodrigo, and a brilliant strike in the second from Raphinha, gave Leeds their biggest top-flight victory since a 6-1 win at Charlton Athletic in April 2003 and confirmed the enormous task facing West Brom manager Sam Allardyce to keep his side up. Leeds move up to 11th in the table with 23 points, while West Brom remain second-bottom on eight points from 16 games, five shy of safety. The home side fell behind in the ninth minute as Sawyers put the ball into his own net. He was pressured 25 yards from his goal, swivelled and played a back-pass to where he expected goalkeeper Sam Johnstone to be. But the gloveman had taken up a position to the left of his goal to give Sawyers an option for the pass, and the ball nestled into an empty net, a calamity from which the home side never recovered. "Things can happen like that, they are unexpected, but when they do happen they (his players) have to pick themselves up and fight, be determined," Allardyce told Amazon Prime. "I was shocked to see such a poor performance and we have to work hard to put it right. "When we lost the ball and tried to defend, we were terrible. We have got to get that balance right in the transition. Life will get difficult if we can't get results quickly." The match was billed as the defensive structure of Allardyce against the swagger and verve of Leeds under their manager Marcelo Bielsa, but it was proved no contest. "We dominated the game and we made few errors, so they couldn't capitalise on anything. We attacked constantly and were efficient," Bielsa said. "All of the goals gave me happiness. It's (also) important for us not to concede goals because we've conceded way too many (this season)."
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND (REUTERS) - Manchester City's hopes of closing the gap on the Premier League pacesetters were frustrated as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to lowly West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday (Dec 15). City took the lead on the half hour when Raheem Sterling did well to work his way to the byline and pull the ball back to Ilkay Gundogan who expertly side-footed home. But West Brom drew level two minutes before the break when a shot on the turn from Semi Ajayi hit City defender Ruben Dias and deflected past wrong-footed goalkeeper Ederson. The hosts camped in West Brom's half throughout most of the second period but Slaven Bilic's side showed tremendous determination and defensive solidity. City had late chances though - Kevin De Bruyne went close with a free-kick that West Brom keeper Sam Johnstone did well to reach while Sergio Aguero blasted wide from a good position. Johnstone did well again in stoppage time to keep out a close-range Gundogan header and denied another great opportunity for Sterling who headed straight at the keeper. After 12 games Pep Guardiola's City are in sixth place, five points behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool who both have 25 points and face each other at Anfield on Wednesday. West Brom are second-bottom on seven points.
MANCHESTER (REUTERS) - A twice-taken penalty from Bruno Fernandes gave an unimpressive Manchester United a 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (Nov 21), their first home victory of the Premier League season. Fernandes's first effort was saved by West Brom keeper Sam Johnstone but referee David Coote ordered the kick be re-taken after ruling the keeper had come off his line. The Portuguese midfielder made no mistake with the second attempt. Winless West Brom's frustration was doubled by the fact that the penalty, awarded for a handball by Darnell Furlong, came eight minutes after they had a penalty award overturned after review. Coote pointed to the spot after he ruled Fernandes made shin-to-shin contact with Conor Gallagher in the box but the referee reversed his decision after being sent to the pitchside monitor. Substitute Callum Robinson went close to an equaliser for West Brom in the 65th minute with a superb curling shot that struck the bar. United, who had struggled to break down Slaven Bilic's side until their goal, had chances to extend their lead but the outstanding Johnstone produced a series of good saves. The win moved United above local rivals Manchester City into ninth place, on 13 points, seven behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur.
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE West Brom 0 Tottenham 1 LONDON • With 260 goals, many consider Alan Shearer's feat as the all-time record scorer in the Premier League to be untouchable. Harry Kane, however, has time on his side and if the 27-year-old continues his exploits in front of goal, he has every chance of eventually passing the Newcastle great. The England captain nabbed his 150th English top-flight goal in 218 games on Sunday, heading home an 88th-minute winner as Tottenham beat West Brom 1-0 at the Hawthorns yesterday. His strike was perfectly timed after Spurs had laboured to break down stubborn opponents. And having scored his 200th goal in all competitions for the club last Thursday, he now has 13 goals this season. Kane is the first player born after the Premier League started in 1992 to score 150 times and in doing so, he broke out of a tie with former Spurs forward Les Ferdinand to move to joint-ninth with former Liverpool forward Michael Owen on the all-time list. While Spurs were only momentarily top of the table for the first time since August 2014 before Leicester's victory over Wolves later in the day, manager Jose Mourinho told reporters he was happy with his side's progress amid talk of a title tilt. "If Liverpool and Leicester win, it's not a problem for me," he said. "So many good clubs. You can have a good season and still not be champions. We'll just try to win. "I'm not bothered about Leicester v Wolves or (Manchester) City v Liverpool. I just want us to win games and we'll see where we are. 150 Harry Kane's 150th strike places him 9th on the English Premier League list. "I would start with West Bromwich's performance, because their performance is what made us play in the way we did. They played defensively very well... "Let's say that defensively, we controlled the game well, but we couldn't find lots of spaces to play and create lots of chances. The goal arrived and I think deservedly, but I have to feel sorry for them because they fought so hard for the point. "I prefer not to speak (about Kane) because he speaks by himself... This guy does much more than scoring goals. For example, last five minutes, he was playing as a No. 6 and winning balls in front of the defence. Special." Only Shearer (212 games) and Sergio Aguero (217) have gotten to 150 faster than Kane and the striker was just as happy as his manager with the "big win". "Obviously delighted to reach 150 Premier League goals," he said. "Obviously, when you win the game, that's the most important thing, we dug deep but let's keep it going." Spurs are now unbeaten in their last seven league games and have won their past three, but were below their best for long periods against a West Brom team still without a league win this term. The hosts suffered a pre-match blow when defender Branislav Ivanovic and midfielder Matheus Pereira were ruled out after both tested positive for the coronavirus. But amid reports that Charlton manager Lee Bowyer is being lined up as a replacement for Slaven Bilic, the West Brom boss said he saw enough from his players to indicate the Baggies will not make a swift return to the Championship without a fight. "When I see my team fighting and playing, then I'm very, very positive, the win will come," he added. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE