Match report
Manchester United go 11 points behind Manchester City, goals in the first half from Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard enough to secure a narrow victory. West Bromwich Albion stay 19th despite a belated attempt at a fightback, but at least they did a goal through Gareth Barry. Thanks for reading and emailing. That’s all from me. You can follow Bournemouth v Liverpool with Danny Harris here.
Full-time: West Brom 1-2 Manchester United
Peep! Peep! Peep!
90 min+4: United appear to have eaten up the time. Rondon’s booked.
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90 min+2: A punt from left to right finds Lukaku one on one with Evans. He tries a stepover before pulling a poor shot wide with his right foot.
90 min+1: Four minutes of added time. Hegazi hoicks a deep cross to the far post. It’s headed down and Barry’s shot is blocked! It might have been going in.
88 min: United could do with full-time now. They were coasting for so long that they’re struggling to respond now that West Brom have stirred.
87 min: Rondon turns on the left and curls a cross to the far post. Rojo swings and Lukakus at it, almost sending the ball past De Gea! A corner’s awarded. Though Rojo’s claiming he didn’t touch it. His appeals are ignored. The corner’s whipped in by Brunt again. De Gea misses his punch and the ball bounces off Matic - and back into the grateful clutches of De Gea! Barry tries to nick it off him and seems to catch United’s goalkeeper, leading to a disagreement between the pair. Anthony Taylor sorts it out.
86 min: Scott McTominay replaces Jesse Lingard.
85 min: Gibbs whips a cross into the area from a deep position on the left and Rodriguez’s free header flashes just wide, with De Gea rooted to the spot! What a chance for West Brom to equalise.
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84 min: Rondon hustles and bustles to win a corner for West Brom on the left. Brunt’s deep delivery is headed back into the middle by Rodriguez and cleared by United, who are under pressure now.
81 min: United have been lax since half-time. They’ve brought this on themselves - not that West Brom are in the habit of scoring two whole goals in one game. They are pressing, though, and De Gea has to save Rodriguez’s shot from the edge of the area.
79 min: Anthony Martial replaces Marcus Rashford.
GOAL! West Brom 1-2 Manchester United (Barry, 77 min)
Hang on! Just as everyone was nodding off, West Brom score the first goal of the Pardew era! They’d won a corner on the right after Rondon’s shot was deflected over; Brunt swung it deep to the far post, Hegazi headed down, Evans made a nuisance of himself and Barry controlled before swivelling to turn the ball past De Gea from six yards! The Hawthorns has cheered up a bit.
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75 min: Brunt boots a shot over with his right foot from 20 yards.
74 min: Brunt slips a pass through to Rondon, who shoots timidly at De Gea. This side is utterly bereft of confidence. The Hawthorns is miserable at the moment.
71 min: McClean fruitlessly chases after a flick-on. Young, trying to usher it back to De Gea, leans into him and sends him careering into the United goalkeeper, who’s winded for a moment or two. West Brom make their final change, Chris Brunt replacing the disappointing Krychowiak.
66 min: Rojo’s introduction was delayed because he wasn’t ready, much to his annoyance, but he’s finally on.
65 min: Antonio Valencia has picked up an injury. Marcos Rojo is coming on. Ashley Young has gone to right-back.
64 min: Jay Rodriguez replaces Oliver Burke, who did not scare Manchester United.
60 min: Nyom picks up a booking for tugging Rashford back while that counter was developing. “Won’t someone…anybody… (Santa maybe?) make Lukaku smile for Christmas?” asks Justin Kavanagh. “Between him and his dour, sour manager, Manchester United has become a refuge for Scrooges this season. Bah, humbug!”
59 min: A flowing United counterattack ends with Lukaku brilliantly backheeling into the path of Lingard, who rams his shot straight at Foster from 18 yards. That would have been a vintage United goal. Is there a more underrated player in the league than Lingard?
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57 min: Valencia’s cross from the right reaches Rashford, who slashes a snapshot wide, much to the merriment of the home fans.
55 min: Burke charges on to a long ball down the right and hooks a lovely ball into the middle. Rondon and McClean both throw themselves at it, but neither can make proper contact and the ball’s scrambled away.
54 min: Barry rolls a shot straight at De Gea from 20 yards.
52 min: West Brom seem to have absolutely no clue about how they might create a chance. United look likelier to score a third. Rashford tries to wriggle past Hegazi, only to go down clutching his face. He stays down for a while - Hegazi put an arm across him. Eventually he gets up and the pair engage in a philosophical debate. It’s instigated by Rashford, so he gets a yellow card.
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49 min: Rashford dinks a pass through to Lukaku, but the flag goes up for offside.
46 min: Off we go again. Manchester United get the second half underway. West Brom have made a change, Gareth Barry replacing Claudio Yacob, and they start the half encouragingly, Gibbs shooting wide from the edge of the area.
Half-time: West Brom 0-2 Manchester United
These are worrying times for Pardiola.
45 min+1: There will be one added minute. United have a corner on the right. Mata takes it and Foster punches it unconvincingly to the edge of the area. Young’s shot is charged down.
WEST BROM HAVE A SHOT!!!!!!!!!!!
44 min: Livermore takes aim from 25 yards. De Gea dives low to his right to make a comfortable save.
43 min: Was the Wembley dance the high point of Alan Pardew’s life?
39 min: United are playing with wonderful confidence now. They could fill their boots if they keep going. They were too cautious before the first goal, but a blend of sharper passing and movement is turning this an ordeal for West Brom.
37 min: This probably won’t happen, but West Brom will be bottom if Swansea win at Everton tomorrow.
GOAL! West Brom 0-2 Manchester United (Lingard, 35 min)
Game over. Probably. Jesse Lingard finds space 20 yards from goal and has a dig. It’s not the best effort, but Hegazi hangs out a leg and his intervention takes the ball spinning to Foster’s right, with the goalkeeper already committed to his left.
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34 min: Cafu Nyom livens West Brom up with a surprising piece of skill that takes him freewheeling past two United players on the right. Here’s a chance for the hosts! Nyom slams a low cross into the middle, intriguing Rondon, but Smalling’s also alert and his challenge denies the striker. The ball squirts around the six-yard box, but Valencia hoofs it away before McClean can pounce.
31 min: Burke has been quiet, but this is an improvement from the young winger, who charges through the middle, only to tempt Smalling into a challenge when he had Rondon free to his right.
30 min: What are West Brom going to do now? They’ve not had a shot on target yet and haven’t scored a goal under Alan Pardew yet.
29 min: Lukaku’s celebration might be termed the anti-Arnautovic.
GOAL! West Brom 0-1 Manchester United (Lukaku, 27 min)
Ask and you shall receive. This has more or less come out of nothing, though United had just stepped up the threat in the last minute or so. Rashford shifts the ball on to his right on the left and whips a dangerous cross into the six-yard box, where the unmarked Lukaku rises to glance a powerful header into the top left corner. He elects not to celebrate again, though that’s probably down to respect for West Brom.
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27 min: How about a shot?
25 min: Krychowiak’s delivery is substandard again, struck with too much oomph, and Evans is moving backwards as he sends a header over.
24 min: Herrera, who’s come in for criticism lately, clips McClean in the middle. West Brom take the free-kick quickly, moving it out to Gibbs on the left. His cross is deflected and De Gea can’t stop it going out for a corner.
23 min: Oliver Burke hasn’t scared Manchester United yet, but then he hasn’t had the ball yet either. This is not a good game.
21 min: There’s no way that Anthony Martial would be of any use here.
18 min: Rondon miscontrols a pass, spooning it out for a throw. The entertainment levels are low at the moment.
14 min: Young whips a cross to the far post, looking for Lukaku, but Gibbs does superbly to stay with the Belgian, despite the height disadvantage, and get his head to the ball. It loops up into the air, tempting Lukaku to challenge Foster, but he fouls the West Brom goalkeeper.
12 min: This is much better from the hosts now. They looked nervous in the first 10 minutes, but they’re beginning to play their part in this, winning their first corner on the left. Krychowiak’s delivery is awful, though.
11 min: West Brom embark on another sortie, Rondon muscling through the middle, but the forward’s pass to Livermore is overhit and forces the midfielder too wide on the right. He’s crowded out.
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9 min: West Brom break for the first time, Rondon opening United up down the left with a smart backheel to McClean, who surges away. The winger hasn’t got much support, though, and his firm centre is too hard for Burke to control.
8 min: Young’s corner is headed away by Hegazi.
7 min: England’s Jake Livermore dithers on the edge of his own area and attempts to dribble out of trouble, only for Lingard to pick his pocket and win a corner.
6 min: United are in complete control. A poor clearance goes straight to Young, who looks like he’s going to cross. But no. Instead he disguises a perceptive pass through to Mata, whose low centre has to be hacked away. West Brom are struggling to get out of their half.
5 min: A long ball finds Rashford on the left. He cuts inside, breaking into the area again, but his shot’s blocked.
4 min: “I only saw Burke play a few times for Forest and have been looking forward to him getting a start,” says JR in Illinois. “He looked big and really fast with some tricks as well and that was two years ago when he was 18. He certainly seems capable of scaring United on the wing. Not in the same way McClean scares people, mind. Come on you Baggies. Oh man do I hope they stuff Mourinho.”
2 min: United have settled quickly, taking control of possession and pushing West Brom back. Lukaku and Rashford indulge in a spot of head tennis on the edge of the area, the latter almost bursting through on goal before Evans hooks clear.
Peep! West Brom, kicking from right to left in the first half, get the game underway. The Manchester United fans are making a lot of noise.
Here come the teams! West Brom are in their blue and white stripes, Manchester United are in red shirts and black shorts.
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Alan Pardew says that Oliver Burke’s orders are to scare Manchester United - and he won’t last long if he doesn’t. “He reminds me a bit of Zaha.” I’ve never seen Burke play. What do we think of him?
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Pre-match reading
“Herrera needs a performance today,” says Christopher Faherty. “He’s been terrible in the bigger games this season, and whenever he’s been subbed on to close out a match he’s not done anything towards that, he doesn’t seem to get around the pitch as easily this season and his passing is very humdrum now. If McTominay keeps going the way he’s going he’ll have his lunch quick enough.”
Jose Mourinho speaks! He’s asked about his team selection. “We think a match at a time. I am not rotating, I am not protecting players for what is coming, I am just trying to play the team that we think is the best team for this match.
And what of West Brom? “The biggest danger is the fact that they need points because they are in a difficult position and they need points. The stadium is always difficult because their crowd is so supportive and enthusiastic. Then the qualities and experience of the players, they are very experienced and physical, capable to defend well with a lot of bodies, but at the same time to be dangerous with direct football with people like Rondon and McClean.”
And what about being 14 points behind Manchester City? He’s asked whether United have to do their job in isolation. “You told the question and the answer.”
Bye Jose!
Alan Pardew has mostly kept faith with the players who held Liverpool at Anfield. Only one change for West Brom, Oliver Burke replacing Hal Robson-Kanu.
Manchester United make three changes to the side that beat Bournemouth 1-0. Ashley Young replaces Luke Shaw at left-back, Scott McTominay makes way for Ander Herrera and Marcus Rashford comes in for Anthony Martial. Paul Pogba is still suspended.
Team news
West Brom: Foster; Nyom, Hegazi, Evans, Gibbs; Yacob, Livermore, Krychowiak; Burke, Rondon, McClean. Subs: Myhill, McAuley, Brunt, Barry, Field, Robson-Kanu, Rodriguez.
Manchester United: De Gea; Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Young; Herrera, Matic; Mata, Lingard, Rashford; Lukaku. Subs: Romero, Lindelof, Rojo, Shaw, McTominay, Martial, Ibrahimovic.
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Preamble
On this day in 2016, West Bromwich Albion hosted Manchester United at the Hawthorns. The Baggies were in terrific form. Salomón Rondón had scored a fine hat-trick in a win over Swansea City three days earlier and all the talk was about whether Tony Pulis’s side might be capable of challenging for a European spot. Only four points separated them and United at the start of play, after all, and West Brom were still feeling optimistic even after being put to the sword by Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s smart double. The Pulis Pragmaticos were sitting pretty in seventh place, seven points off a European spot and nine above the bottom three, and they were almost becoming the very definition of Premier League stability.
But what a difference a year makes, even though 2017 did start quite well for West Brom. They went out of the FA Cup early, because Pulis, but all was well when they closed February with a win over Bournemouth that took them to … 40 points. Dun-Dun-Duuuuuuuun!!!!!!!! At which point: commence the slide. Barely anything has gone right since then. They ended last season with one win from their last 12 games – a 3-1 victory over Arsenal in March – to finish 10th, miles off the European places, and despite some promising summer signings, Pulis proved incapable of exterminating the malaise. It simply got worse (more boring) and the safest pair of hands in England had turned into a butterfingered mess by the time West Brom decided that their club shop could stand the drop in profits that would come from sacking Pulis. Something had to be done. A hero was required, a breath of fresh air, a silver-haired smoothball with a proud track record of making everything slightly more exciting for a short while. There was only one man.
And who could else it be but Alan Pardew? No one else, that’s who! But the famous Pardew bounce hasn’t quite materialised yet. West Brom are still waiting for their first goal under their new manager, who has picked up two points from his first three games, and they find themselves in trouble before hosting United this afternoon. Yesterday’s results largely conspired against them, leaving Pardew’s strugglers in 19th place and two points off the promised land of 17th, and it probably won’t have cheered them up to see their grumpy old loanee, Romelu Lukaku, end his goalscoring drought against Bournemouth on Wednesday night. They could do without see another non-celebration from Lukaku here.
United, however, are also desperate for a win. They shouldn’t assume this will be easy – West Brom held The Most Exciting Team That Ever Existed to a goalless draw at Anfield on Wednesday and have too many solid professionals to be dismissed as an incompetent mess – but they know that nothing but three points will do if they are to have any chance of stopping me from referring to the title race as the title “race”. United begin 14 points behind Manchester City and there can be no bus-parking from them here. Mind you, they were 13 points behind Chelsea at the top of the league this time last year, so at least United are showing signs of improvement under Mourinho.
Kick-off: 2.15pm (GMT).
