Express & Star

West Brom 1 Manchester United 2 - Report and pictures

It took them two-thirds of the match to get going, but eventually Albion made this a contest.

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Romelu Lukaku of Manchester United celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 1-0 (AMA)

Two goals in the space of eight first-half minutes from Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard had put Manchester United in control and for most of the game it looked like the visitors were going to drift to a comfortable victory despite not being at their best.

The Baggies were struggling in the final third, they looked like a team without a win since August and without a goal in the best part of four matches.

But when Alan Pardew threw Chris Brunt on as his third substitution - to the delight of the home crowd - it gave them a tried and trusted weapon that has been ignored far too readily this season.

Brunt's pinpoint deliveries immediately started to cause problems, and Albion pulled a goal back 13 minutes from time through a scrambled Gareth Barry effort.

And even though they couldn't find the equaliser, they continued to knock on the door until the final whistle.

Pardew gushed with praise for Jose Mourinho in his programme notes, but no manager has more victories over the Special One in the Premier League than Albion's head coach, who has beaten him three times.

Oliver Burke was handed his first start of the season, replacing Hal Robson-Kanu on the right wing in the only change to the team that battled to a goalless draw at Anfield in midweek. Gareth Barry returned to the bench from his thigh injury.

Early on, Albion were guilty of giving the ball away in their own third. A poor clearance from Burke and Jake Livermore dallying on the ball put them in unnecessary danger but United couldn't capitalise and the Baggies cleared their lines.

The hosts were threatening on the counter-attack though, and were flooding forward in numbers and pace when they won possession on the edge of their box.

James McClean nearly found Burke with a cross after being sent clear by a Salomon Rondon backheel, and then moments later, the Venezuelan nearly slipped Livermore through but overhit his pass.

United had most of the ball though, and they were foraging in the main part down their left wing.

Ashley Young's enjoying somewhat of a renaissance this season, and it was his wicked cross towards Lukaku at the back post that produced a stunning defensive header from Kieran Gibbs when it looked for all the world like the striker's ball.

But Lukaku did rise higher than Gibbs in the 27th minute, when he opened the scoring with a simple header from a Marcus Rashford cross that came off the same flank.

The former Albion man drifted onto the left-back and made no mistake this time when the ball was put on a plate for him by the young forward.

Lukaku refused to celebrate against the club he scored 17 goals for in a season five years ago, but his team-mates didn't hide their delight and mobbed him in front of the away end.

Three minutes later, Albion fans saw a flash of Burke's potential, when the £15m signing picked up a ball in his own half and drove forward with purpose.

For a moment it looked promising, but he couldn't get around last man Antonio Valencia and the chance went begging.

United's back line had to have their wits about them again not long after when Nyom nutmegged Rashford on the byline and sent a cross towards Rondon at the near post, but Chris Smalling blocked the effort.

Albion were still in the game at that point, but their task doubled in difficulty on the 36th minute when United added a second through Jesse Lingard.

The forward drifted along the edge of the penalty area but his shot would have been saved by Foster had it not hit an outstretched Ahmed Heagzi boot and bobbled unkindly over the keeper and into the gaping net.

Although the Baggies were seeing enough possession to threat, they were ponderous going forward, and and looked far more likely to do damage breaking from deep than when they needed to break United down.

That lack of clarity was epitomised when Jake Livermore looked unsure what to do on the edge of the box until the Albion fans urged him to shoot.

It seemed to wake him up to the possibility, and when he did, he hit the ball well, and even though De Gea got down to the shot, he had to gather it at the second time of asking.

Pardew decided something needed to change, so he sent Gareth Barry on for Claudio Yacob at half-time and moved Burke up front with Rondon while Livermore filled in on the right.

It nearly paid dividends straight away when the 20-year-old debutant laid the ball off to Gibbs on the edge of the area, but the left-back's shot was dragged wide of the far post.

Rashford was then booked after going down clutching his chin when Hegazi made little to no impact on his face. But even so, the United striker decided to jump up and confront the big Egyptian, who wasn't booked himself after a spell of handbags.

That tete a tete woke The Hawthorns up, and they started to urge their team on. A minute later, Barry clipped a ball in behind for Burke to run onto.

The youngster had no right to beat Smalling to it, but he outpaced the defender and sent in an inviting first-time cross for Rondon and McClean.

Neither could get on the end of it though, thanks to some superb defending once more from the reliable Valencia.

The game opened up after that. Rashford flashed a shot wide of Foster's far post and Lingard struck one straight at him while the Baggies were trying to get Burke - who looked more lively when he moved inside - on the ball as much as possible to run at the United back-line.

But Pardew decided to bring him off shortly after the hour mark and sent Jay Rodriguez on in his place while United were forced to remove the injured Valencia for Marcos Rojo.

McClean was then strangely penalised for getting bodychecked in the box by Young after going for a ball he was entitled to go for. It wasn't a penalty, but neither was it a foul for United.

The game was drifting aimlessly towards a comfortable United victory until Pardew brought Brunt on for Krychowiak with around 20 minutes to go after a dreadful second half from the Pole.

The substitution was greeted with cheers from the home crowd and six minutes later, it had paid off.

Albion's deliveries from set pieces had been dreadful all game, and failed to beat the first man, but Brunt is a set-piece master.

His first corner of the game wreaked havoc at the far stick, where Rodriguez nodded it downwards before both he and Evans had swings at it.

Eventually, Barry managed to scramble it home to set up a grandstand 15 minutes.

Rodriguez flashed a header wide from another glorious Brunt delivery and then the Baggies came even closer soon after with another corner from the Northern Irishman's left boot.

This one evaded De Gea, who came and missed his punch, before agonisingly rolling back along the goalline where the United keeper atoned for his error by snatching the ball quickly with Evans and Hegazi lurking.

Anything from this game would have been a bonus, it was always going to be difficult for the second bottom team to pick up points from the club who are second top.

And while it was far too comfortable for United in most parts, Albion can take heart from their late rally.

Unfortunately, gutsy defeats do not lift you up the table and Albion are now 17 games without a win in all competitions.

There is a lot riding on next weekend's match with struggling Stoke.

KEY MOMENTS

27 GOAL UNITED - Lukaku drifts in between Evans and Gibbs before rising higher than the left-back and guiding a header from Rashford's cross into the top corner.

36 GOAL UNITED - Lingard's shot hits Hegazi's outstretched boot and deflects cruelly past Foster.

77 GOAL ALBION - Brunt's corner wreaks havoc in the box and Rodriguez and Evans both have swings at it before Barry scrambles it in.

ALBION MAN OF THE MATCH

Chris Brunt - Only played 20 minutes but made a telling difference with his deliveries.

POSITION IN THE TABLE

19th, with 14 points from games

Teams

Albion (4-1-4- 1): Foster; Nyom, Hegazi, Evans (c), Gibbs; Yacob (Barry 45); McClean, Krychowiak (Brunt 71), Livermore, Burke (Rodriguez 64); Rondon. Unused subs: Myhill, McAuley, Field, Robson-Kanu.

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Valencia (c) (Rojo 66), Smalling, Jones, Young; Matic, Herrera; Lingard (McTominay 86), Mata, Rashford; Lukaku. Unused subs: Romero, Lindelof, Shaw, Martial, Ibrahimovic.

Referee: Anthony Taylor

Attendance: 24,782 (2,587 away)