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West Brom 3 Hull City 2 - Report and pictures

With the deadly Dwight Gayle in this sort of form, the Baggies have every chance in the play-offs.

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The striker now has five goals in under a week at The Hawthorns, following up his hat-trick against Preston with a double that swung this topsy-turvy game in Albion's favour.

The irresistable Kieran Gibbs had given the hosts the lead just before half-time with a well-guided missile, before two avoidable goals in 12 second-half minutes from Hull right-back Todd Kane turned the game on its head.

But Gayle is lethal in the box, and he headed home a Chris Brunt corner to draw Albion level before touching home a Jacob Murphy cross four minutes from time.

That made it four home wins from four for caretaker boss James Shan, who has turned this club's form at The Hawthorns on its head, with his team scoring three or more on each occasion.

It would now take a minor miracle for the Baggies to miss out on the top six.

For the first time in the league this season, Jay Rodriguez wasn't named in the starting line-up as Shan rested the 21-goal striker with Easter Monday and the play-offs in mind.

Rodriguez was replaced by Hal Robson-Kanu up top and Rekeem Harper came in for Jake Livermore in midfield as Shan persisted with the 3-5-2 system that brushed aside Preston.

Albion got up to speed quickly, and began to constrict their opponents and win the ball back off them.

Hull threatened on the counter when Kamil Grosicki nearly slipped the dangerous Jarrod Bowen in behind before some alert defending from Mason Holgate thwarted danger.

The Hull winger has as many goals as Rodriguez this season, and Bowen nearly scored a screaming volley, arching it just over the bar while running away from goal.

But the Baggies were playing some nice stuff on the deck, and threatening to open up the Tigers.

After just 18 minutes, Ahmed Hegazi was brought off as a precaution, but the big Egyptian wasn't happy about it, and he shrugged off Shan as he stalked off the pitch before heading straight down the tunnel.

That forced Craig Dawson and Kyle Bartley to each shuffle left, and Hull started to target Tosin Adarabioyo with Grosicki getting in behind him down the right hand side too often.

The Polish winger and Reece Burke both sliced shots wide of Albion's far post, as the visitors continued their shoot-on-site policy.

After a bright start, the game fell flat after that, with neither side able to create too much.

It took until six minutes before the break for the Baggies to finally force David Marshall into a save when Stefan Johansen's tame effort was easily gathered.

But there was nothing Marshall could do about Gibbs's opener three minutes before the break.

The wing-back had been the stand-out player of the first half, and when Adarabioyo swung a first-time cross to him at the back post, he guided the missile back across goal and inside the far post.

But the Baggies started the second half in second gear, and they were made to pay for it.

Just three minutes after the restart, right-back Kane was allowed to drive forward into space and when nobody closed him down, he picked his spot in the far corner.

The Chelsea loanee celebrated in front of the Albion fans, who responded with chants of 'Who are ya?' which caused the 25-year-old to point to the name on his shirt.

Bowen nearly replicated Kane's trick soon after on a counter-attack but this time Sam Johnstone got a strong hand down to the shot.

On the hour mark, Albion fell behind to Kane's second goal in 12 minutes, and this was one Johnstone won't want to see again.

The right-back was attempting to cross the ball, but he got it wrong, and it caught Johnstone out, skimming his fingertips as it flew into the top far corner.

Shan reacted by sending Matt Phillips on for Harper, who looked off the pace, but the Baggies weren't behind for long.

Three minutes after Kane's second two of Albion's most trusted sources combined to draw them level.

When Brunt swung a typically devilish corner into the far post, Gayle was there to nod in his fourth header of the past five games.

That goal sparked a spell of pressure for Albion, who nearly played Robson-Kanu through on goal before he was removed for Murphy.

It was end-to-end after that, as both teams went hammer and tong in search of the win.

Phillips placed a cross on Gayle's head that, this time, the striker couldn't divert goalwards.

But four minutes from time Murphy drilled in a cross that evaded Marshall, giving Gayle an empty net to win the game. He's now on 23 for the season and shows signs of scoring more.

In many ways, this topsy-turvy game summed up exactly why Albion's great entertainers are destined for the play-offs and not the automatic promotion spots this season.

They were deadly up top but unconvincing at the back. But with Gayle in this sort of mood, they've got every chance of winning that mini-tournament next month.

KEY MOMENTS

18 Hegazi shrugs off Shan as he's substituted off for a precaution.

42 GOAL ALBION - Gibbs volleys Adarabioyo's cross first time into the far corner.

48 GOAL HULL - Kane is allowed to drive forward and find the bottom corner.

60 GOAL HULL - Kane's attempted cross lobs Johnstone and flies into the far corner.

63 GOAL ALBION - Gayle nods in Brunt's corner at the far post.

86 GOAL ALBION - Gayle touches home Murphy's cross

MAN OF THE MATCH

Kieran Gibbs - The left-back capped a fine performance with a goal.

POSITION IN THE TABLE

4th, with 76 points from 43 games

TEAMS

Albion (3-5-2): Johnstone; Dawson, Bartley, Hegazi (Adarabioyo 18); Holgate, Harper, Brunt (c), Johansen, Gibbs; Robson-Kanu (Murphy 71), Gayle.

Unused subs: Bond, Townsend, Livermore, Edwards, Phillips.

Hull City (4-4-1-1): Marshall; Lichaj, De Wijs, Burke (McKenzie 51), Kane; Grosicki, Irvine, Henriksen (c) (Stewart 35), Bowen; Batty (Evandro 76); Campbell.

Unused subs: Long, Toral, Martin, Ridgewell.

Referee: Peter Banks

Attendance: 23,501 (734 away)