Steve Clarke expected West Bromwich Albion equaliser

West Bromwich Albion head coach Steve Clarke during the match against Stoke City on December 1, 2012
© PA Photos
West Bromwich Albion boss Steve Clarke has revealed that he thought his side were more likely to draw level than go further behind against Manchester United this afternoon.

The Baggies found themselves 1-0 down at Old Trafford after just nine minutes, but had a number of chances to equalise in the second half before Robin van Persie's 90th-minute strike sealed a 2-0 win for United.

Clarke believes that his side played good enough football throughout the match to warrant a draw, reserving special praise for goalkeeper Ben Foster.

"There was a stage in second half when we had a really good control. I thought the game was more likely to go 1-1 than 2-0," said Clarke.

"Ben Foster made some good saves, that's why we spent our whole transfer budget on Ben in the summer. Some of the football we played was very good and I thought the goal would come.

"We had players on the pitch who can score and got into some good positions."

The result ensured that United will end the year seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table, while West Brom stay sixth.
League Two playoffs
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FT
Aberdeen
1-1
Hearts
FT
Hibernian
1-0
Dundee
FT
Kilmarnock
1-3
St Mirren
Ligue 1
Bundesliga
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Tables
TeamPGDPTS
1Manchester United374388
2Manchester City373378
3Chelsea373572
4Arsenal373470
5Tottenham Hotspur371969
6Everton371663
7Liverpool372758
8West Bromwich Albion37-448
9Swansea City37-146
10West Ham United37-1043
11Stoke City37-1141
12Norwich City37-1841
13Newcastle United37-2241
14Southampton37-1140
15Fulham37-1340
16Aston Villa37-2240
17Sunderland37-1239
RWigan Athletic37-2635
RReading37-2828
RQueens Park Rangers37-2925