Newcastle 1 West Brom 0 - Report and pictures

West Brom failed to recover from an abject first-half performance at St James' Park today as Newcastle dragged them firmly into the relegation dog-fight.

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Aleksandar Mitrovic's first-half goal beat the Baggies, who never looked like scoring, but the Magpies wasted countless chances to put the game to bed.

Cheick Tiote had a goal disallowed and Andros Townsend hit the post on his home debut, but it was Steve McClaren's other January signing, Jonjo Shelvey, who controlled the game.

The North East side climbed out of the bottom three with these three points and on the face of this performance, should be able to stay out of trouble.

Albion on the other hand, looked toothless up front and tactically inept.

Not until Alex Pritchard came on at half-time for his debut did the Baggies have any notable quality on the pitch.

Questions must be asked about boss Tony Pulis' unadventurous team selection that invited Newcastle on to them.

Both defences were plagued by injuries, forcing Pulis to give £8million summer signing James Chester his first Premier League start since the opening day of the season.

McClaren shifted winger Rolando Aarons to left-back.

Despite giving Saido Berahino one-on-one fitness sessions, Pulis still doesn't think last season's top scorer is fit enough to start a league match.

He chose Victor Anichebe up front instead, ahead of Salomon Rondon who Pulis said picked up a knock before the game.

The Albion fans booed the Welshman's decision to bring Stephane Sessegnon off against Swansea.

Albion (4-4-1-1): Foster, Dawson, Olsson, McAuley, Chester, Gardner (Berahino 45), Yacob, Sandro (Pritchard 45), McClean, Fletcher (c), Anichebe (Rondon 73).

Unused subs: Myhill, Pocognoli, Lambert, Sessegnon.

Newcastle (4-2-3-1): Elliot, Janmaat, Taylor, Coloccini (c), Aarons, Tiote, Shelvey (Saviet 89), Sissoko, Wijnaldum, Townsend (Perez 87), Mitrovic.

Unused subs: Darlow, Gibson, Williams, Barlaser, Saivet, Doumbia.[/breakout]

But the African winger was dropped to the bench completely for this game, Pulis again blaming a late knock as the reason for the change.

The defensive line-up was an open invitation to Newcastle to attack, and the home side flooded forward in the first five minutes.

After a couple of blocked shots, goalkeeper Ben Foster was called into action early on by former Albion target Townsend, beating away the £12million January signing's attempted curled effort.

Foster then pulled off a wondersave from the resulting corner, somehow getting a strong low hand down to deny Mitrovic from just three yards out.

Shelvey was dictating play from the quarter-back role in defensive midfield, while Georginio Wijnaldum found pockets of space further up the pitch.

Albion on the other hand, failed to get a grip on the game at all.

Craig Gardner won a free-kick right on the edge of the penalty area in a rare foray up the other end, but his lifted effort was headed clear by the wall.

The Magpies came straight back at Albion. Mitrovic nearly found Moussa Sissoko's run with a defence-splitting pass but Foster rushed off his line quickly to snaffle the danger.

The England international was by far the busier goalkeeper in the first-half and did well to hold on to a thunderous long-range Shelvey effort that was straight down his throat.

Newcastle then had the ball in the net on the half-hour mark, when Cheick Tiote's long-range effort beat Foster.

But as the black and white striped shirts wheeled away in celebration, the Albion players turned on the assistant referee.

After a long talk with .referee Lee Mason, the officials ruled it out for offside because Mitrovic was in Foster's line of sight.

It didn't really matter because, two minutes later, Mitrovic scored one that counted.

Put through by Shelvey after Albion had lost the ball in their own half, the Serbian was played onside by Dawson at left-back.

He bent the ball around the on-rushing Foster to give the home side a deserved lead.

Albion's best move of the half came just before the end of it, when Chester's expertly-weighted pass got Gardner around the back of the Magpies defence.

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Fabricio Coloccini's well-timed tackle denied Darren Fletcher in the box. It was a one-sided first half, though, and recognising the need for change, Pulis made a double substitution at half-time.

Alex Pritchard made his Albion debut, replacing Craig Gardner on the right wing, and Berahino came on for Sandro. But the second-half started the same way as the first.

Gareth McAuley was booked for a professional foul that stopped Wijnaldum racing away, before only a last-ditch Jonas Olsson block denied Sissoko in the box.

Pritchard added energy and quality to the Albion team, jinking in and out of Newcastle players with the ball.

The 22-year-old on loan from Spurs had a shot from open play on the hour mark, sending a long-range effort over while falling backwards.

Comfortable in possession and unafraid to carry the ball forwards, Pritchard then found McClean on the wing and when the Irish international's cross bounced off Anichebe it fell to Berahino in the box.

This time his predatory instincts escaped him, and his stabbed effort goalwards bounced off Stephen Taylor.

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Newcastle were still having the lions share of chances though, and Wijnaldum headed over frmo eight yards out before Mitrovic headed straight at Foster from nearer the penalty spot.

Townsend nearly made it two from the edge of the area but his right-footed effort hit the base of Foster's post and cannoned away.

Sissoko then played a one-two with Mitrovic in the box but somehow failed to hit the target with his shot from 10 yards out as the Baggies continued to hold on.

Ten minutes before the end Pritchard won a free-kick 30 yards out but, when Berahino went to take it, Pulis barked orders from the bench to let the loanee have a go. He found the roof of the net with a decent effort.

It was mainly Newcastle for the last 10 minutes and it looked far more likely they would score a second than Albion would nick another late equaliser like they did against Swansea on Tuesday.

The Baggies should have equalised in injury time, when substitute Salomon Rondon was two-on-one with Berahino, but his tame sideways pass was cut out by Janmaat.

Albion may still be six points above the drop zone, but a few more performances like this and they will need to seriously worry.