West Bromwich Albion faced visiting Swansea City at The Hawthorns in the Premier League, with Tony Pulis and his men looking to secure three points to help avoid relegation come the end of the season.
Following a tame opening start, the Baggies took the lead in the second half, thanks to a clinical finish from record signing Brown Ideye, as he shot on the volley past a helpless Lukasz Fabianski.
The hosts sealed all three points with just over 15 minutes to play, when Saido Berahino lashed home a wonder-striker from just inside the box to leave the final score at 2-0.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at all of the action following a cold night in the Midlands.
Match statistics
WEST BROM
Shots: 11
On target: 4
Possession: 35%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 11
SWANSEA
Shots: 10
On target: 3
Possession: 65%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 12
Was the result fair?
West Brom thoroughly deserved the three points. Pulis has evidently made his side more compact and harder to beat, and that was clear to see during the game. He's seemingly got both Ideye and Berahino working well together too and that bore fruit at The Hawthorns. Credit should also go to the efforts of James Morrison and Darren Fletcher in midfield, as they controlled the game with great industry. Despite their possessional statistics, Swansea barely had a sniff in front of goal and Garry Monk may have some cause for concern given his side's lack of creativity in the final third.
West Bromwich Albion's performance
The hosts played the perfect tactical game as they sat off Swansea and chose to attack their opponents at the vital moments. The Baggies were solid at the back, while Fletcher and Morrison in the middle ensured that defence was turned into attack within three or four passes. The use of wingers enabled Ideye to find space in the middle, as the Swansea backline sought to deal with the pace of both Berahino and Callum McManaman. West Brom looked solid in every department.
Swansea City's performance
Lots of neat short stuff from the visitors, but very little end product. Monk will not be too worried about his side's defence, it's in attack where the problems seem to be occurring. With the exception of Jefferson Montero, the Swans failed to offer anything going forward and nobody dared venture from midfield to support an increasingly isolated Bafetimbi Gomis. Part of this defeat was due to a lifeless central midfield showing, but questions must surely be asked of Monk's tactics given that his striker's isolation was evident from as early as the 15th minute of the game.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Brown Ideye: Ideye was borderline unplayable in the second period and showed great movement, as well as a striker's prowess to push his side into the lead. His forward running caused Ashley Williams a few problems, while he also took his chance with a real clinical air. Not only did he show that he can score, but he also conveyed some great teamwork to square the ball back for West Brom's second.
Biggest gaffe
Some portion of the blame for Swansea's defeat must be placed with the manager. Monk did very little to change things when his side were evidently on the decline from the 50th minute of the game. He made his changes far too late into proceedings and failed to address the problem of a striker isolated and out of form.
Referee performance
Robert Madley had a decent game in front of an intense West Brom crowd. He might have produced reds for both McManaman and Neil Taylor in the first half only to let them off. This allowed the game to run without too much bother, although he might have missed a possible straight red following a rash elbow from Swansea substitute Nelson Oliveira in the latter stages.
What next?
West Bromwich Albion: The Baggies travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland as they look to continue their push away from the bottom half of the table.
Swansea City: Monk's side welcome Louis van Gaal and his Manchester United charges to the Liberty Stadium after a short break due to FA Cup fixtures.
Christopher Dodd
