Albion 1 Manchester United 0 - Report and pictures

Considered by some earlier this season to be a £12 million flop, the Venezeulan summer signing continued to prove his doubters wrong with a clinical 67th-minute winner and dominant all-round performance.

Albion, who are now unbeaten in four league games, were on top for most of the match and created the best chances throughout, but the game changed when Juan Mata was sent off in the 26th minute for two bookings inside three minutes.

Louis van Gaal's team, and particularly Chris Smalling, managed to frustrate the Baggies until Rondon's goal.

But it was another entertaining performance from Tony Pulis's side, who are still unbeaten at home since Christmas, as the Baggies continue to enjoy a run of red hot form full of attacking intent.

Albion have now picked up 10 points from a possible 12, and understandably, Pulis named an unchanged side to the one that battled to a 2-2 draw at league-leaders Leicester on Tuesday.

Van Gaal brought Smalling and Matteo Darmian back into defence, swapped Michael Carrick in for Morgan Schneiderlin in central midfield, and dropped Memphis Depay for Jesse Lingard on the wing.

Teenage sensation Marcus Rashford made his third start for United after scoring four goals in his first two games.

But it was Anthony Martial who played the majority of the game up front and he had an early long-range effort comfortable gathered by Ben Foster as United started the game with Mata looking dangerous.

The Baggies grew into proceedings, and created the first real opening nine minutes in when Rondon's inswinging cross reached Craig Dawson.

But the right-back, on his 100th appearance for the Baggies, couldn't direct his header goalwards.

Craig Gardner had a hand in three Albion goals in the last two games, and it was the midfielder's clever near post run and header back to Berahino which nearly set up the opening goal, but Smalling blocked the striker's snap-shot.

Albion were growing in confidence and there were heads in hands when Gareth McAuley put a header from a deep Gardner free-kick wide from five yards out.

It turned out the Northern Irishman was offside anyway, but there was no question the Baggies were the team looking more threatening.

United's afternoon was then made much more difficult half-way through the first-half when Mata was sent off for picking up two bookings in the space of three minutes.

The first yellow card came for blocking Darren Fletcher's quick free-kick, and the second came when the Spaniard swiped at the former United player deep inside the Albion half.

Although he tried to pull out of the tackle, there was still enough intent there to encourage Mike Dean to give him his marching orders. It was Mata's first red card of his career.

Dawson nearly made the extra man count immediately, worrying David De Gea with a dipping 25-yard volley that went inches wide after Rondon let the ball bounce off his chest.

The right-back was having an eventful game, and minutes later his wicked near-post delivery found Berahino but yet another well-timed Smalling tackle denied the striker.

Stephane Sessegnon drilled a long-range shot on target which De Gea saved comfortably before a couple of important tackles from McAuley and Claudio Yacob stopped Martial and Jesse Lingard at the other end.

But it was Albion who went into half-time on top, having continued their recent impressive run of form.

United started the second half brighter, and Rashford had his first sight of goal after Martial ran around Dawson on the left wing, but the 18-year-old's shot was deflected narrowly wide.

Lingard broke the deadlock for United in their 2-0 victory over the Baggies at Old Trafford earlier this season and in the 55th minute he cut inside from the left and curled a dangerous shot onto the roof of the net.

The ten men were enjoying their first concentrated spell of pressure in the game, but thanks to three towering defensive headers from Rondon at United corners, Albion weathered the storm.

Pulis then brought Sebastien Pocognoli on for Dawson, moving James Chester to right-back, and the substitution proved inspired.

The Belgian left-back loves to get forward and in the 67th minute Berahino laid him off in an advanced position.

Pocognoli's first-time cross fizzed across the box and even though Rondon had acres of space in the United area, it was still a confident touch that killed the ball instantly followed by a clinical finish past De Gea.

From then on it was a case of seeing the game out, which Albion did comfortably with the majority of the ball in the visitor's half.

In fact the Baggies looked more likely to add a second then conced an equaliser, but thanks to several offsides the comforting goal didn't materialise.

Before today, United hadn't lost a league game at The Hawthorns since 1984, and they came to the Black Country on a four-match winning streak.

But this Albion team are red-lining on confidence at the moment and 10 points out of a possible 12 leaves them just one point off the magic 40-point mark with the club's Premier League record points tally of 49 in sight.

Albion (4-4-1-1): Foster, Dawson (Pocognoli 55), Olsson, McAuley, Chester, Sessegnon (McClean 69), Yacob, Fletcher (c), Gardner, Berahino (Sandro 88), Rondon. Unused subs: Myhill, Anichebe, Lambert, Pritchard.

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea, Darmian (Fosu-Mensah 83), Smalling, Blind, Rojo, Carrick (c), Herrera (Schneiderlin 62), Lingard, Mata, Martial, Rashford (Depay 75). Unused subs: Romero, Varela, Weir, Fellaini.

Attendance: 24,878