Javier Hernandez came on to score the winner for below-par leaders Manchester United at the expense of West Brom, who missed a second-half penalty.
\nHe headed in Wayne Rooney’s corner in the second half after Rooney had scored his first goal in open play since March 2010, also with a header.
\nJames Morrison levelled for the Baggies with a stunning strike from 20 yards.
\nPeter Odemwingie then missed from the spot after defender Rio Ferdinand had brought down Jerome Thomas.
\nIt was an awful scuffed effort which – had it gone in – would have been just reward for West Brom, who were the far superior team at The Hawthorns.
\nIt is not often that United’s midfield are overwhelmed but, after the early goal, the quartet of Darren Fletcher, Anderson, Michael Carrick and Gabriel Obertan were chasing striped shirts for much of the match.
\nThere seemed to be little communication with the backline while they were often runners-up in the battle to win the second ball.
\nBut the criticism should be balanced with the tremendous spirit shown by Roberto di Matteo’s side.
\nFormer Middlesbrough player Morrison was one of the stars of the show and his fantastic strike after Rooney’s opener, was the ignition for what was to follow.
\nAnother player who shone at a murky Hawthorns was Scottish international Graham Dorrans, given great freedom to roam by United.
\nHe was involved in the most contentious moment of the match when his run into the penalty area was checked by United veteran Gary Neville.
\nThe full-back was the last man and appeared to clip the legs of Dorrans as he was about to shoot.
\nHowever, referee Chris Foy waved play on, much to the bemusement of the Baggies players and Di Matteo, who continued the debate with official Mike Halsey on the sidelines.
\nChris Brunt completed the impressive trinity of Baggies midfielders. Like Dorrans, the ex-Sheffield Wednesday was also given far too much space to exploit.
\nSeconds after the penalty appeal, Brunt curled a brilliant effort from 20 yards over the bar and after the break both he, with another left-foot strike, and Dorrans, who fired into the side netting, went close to adding a second.
\nWest Brom had started the second 45 minutes as they played most of the first.
\nPaul Scharner was next to be left exasperated, when he headed Brunt’s left-wing corner two yards wide after he was left alone on the edge of the six-yard area.
\nTheir pressure should have paid dividends midway through the half when Foy, this time, pointed to the spot after Ferdinand clipped the ankle of the tricky Thomas.
\nHowever, Nigeria international Odemwingie, who missed from the spot against Arsenal, fluffed his lines by pushing the ball past the right-hand upright.
\nAnd as is the football cliche, they were punished for the miss a few minutes later.
\nMidfielder Darron Gibson and striker Hernandez came on for Obertan and Dimitar Berbatov respectively and Hernandez turned the match when he was left unmarked in the six-yard area to nod in Rooney’s corner.
\nWest Brom pressed again and were unlucky not to equalise when Nemanja Vidic cut out Thomas’s low goal-bound shot from 12 yards.
\nUnited withstood the late pressure and clung on for their 11th league win while Rooney was also left clinging on, bravely playing until the end despite suffering an ankle injury during the closing stages.
\nSource: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Javier Hernandez came on to score the winner for below-par leaders Manchester United at the expense of West Brom, who missed a second-half penalty. He headed in Wayne Rooney’s corner in the second half after Rooney had scored his first goal in open play since March 2010, also with a header. James Morrison levelled for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-272669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n