Albion closed the gap on the Championship’s top two as they recorded a much-needed win at home to promotion rivals Sheffield United.

Graham Dorrans struck a penalty with Roman Bednar and Jerome Thomas also on target, as the Baggies took full advantage of second-placed Nottingham Forest’s lunchtime slip-up at Derby.

A spot-kick from Darius Henderson early in the second half gave the Blades some brief hope at 2-1, but Roberto Di Matteo’s side were comfortable for most of the afternoon.

Now they know a win in Wednesday’s re-arranged trip to Blackpool will take them back into the automatic promotion zone.

The home side were on top for the majority of the first-half and were excellent value for their half-time lead. In fact, they should have been further ahead.

They went ahead with a hint of controversy on 17 minutes, when Dorrans skipped into the box and darted towards goal only for his progress to be halted by Nick Montgomery, who was penalised for handball.

There were furious protests from the Blades, but Dorrans kept his composure to rifle home the penalty.

It should have been two on 25 minutes when a fine ball by Robert Koren found Gonzalo Jara on the overlap and his pull-back fell for Bednar a couple of yards out, who somehow side-footed wide.

But the big Czech made amends six minutes later, applying the finishing touch to a clinical counter-attack.

Jara started the break from a Blades corner, Bednar found Thomas and then burst onto the winger’s clever final ball, before producing a calm right-footed finish to make it 2-0.

The striker could have scored again after intercepting a poor backpass from Stephen Quinn and side-stepping keeper Mark Bunn, but his touch took him wide to fire into the side netting.

United grabbed a lifeline two minutes into the second-half, as Mulumbu was adjudged to have fouled Stephen Quinn in the area and Henderson blasted home the penalty.

But the two-goal cushion was restored three minutes as Dorrans produced a fine ball out of defence to find Thomas, who burst clear and fired home from 15 yards with the aid of a deflection off United defender Chris Morgan.

Bednar burst down the right moments later but his pull-back was scrambled away by Jonathan Fortune, as Albion players closed in.

Albion could have added another when substitute Simon Cox found Thomas out wide to beat Kyle Walker, but the late-arriving Chris Brunt narrowly failed to meet his cross.