West Bromwich Albion thrash nine-man Southampton

West Bromwich Albion have recorded a comfortable 3-0 win over Southampton in a Premier League match that saw three red cards this afternoon.

The visitors took the lead after just eight minutes as the Saints failed to clear their lines from a corner. Marc-Antoine Fortune's initial shot was saved by Artur Boruc, but the ball bounced back off the West Brom striker and trickled over the line.

Boruc was called into action again in the 20th minute when James Morrison sent Romelu Lukaku through on goal, but the striker scuffed his shot, allowing Boruc to get down to make the save.

Nathaniel Clyne had a good chance to pull his side level just after the half-hour mark when he found space to shoot from inside the box, but his effort was well saved by Ben Foster.

Clyne came close again 10 minutes after the break when his shot from a tight angle took a deflection, sending it onto Foster's crossbar.

West Brom doubled their lead in the 66th minute when Fortune's through-ball found Lukaku, who showed good composure to take it round Boruc and slide it into the empty net.

Both sides were reduced to 10 men with 20 minutes left on the clock when Gaston Ramirez elbowed Shane Long, who was holding him back as he looked to break free. In the aftermath, Fortune raised his hands to Ramirez, resulting in red cards for both players.

The Baggies sealed all three points in the 77th minute when Long raced away from Jos Hooiveld before beating Boruc at his near post.

Things got even worse for the Saints when Daniel Fox was dismissed for a dangerous challenge on Steven Reid, leaving his side with just nine men on the pitch for the closing stages.