Analysis of Swansea 0 Albion 2
Their hosts claimed they dived and for long spells the visitors stumbled.
Their hosts claimed they dived and for long spells the visitors stumbled.
It took a moment of high controversy after a night of drudgery to turn a vital promotion showdown the Baggies' way.
But when the final whistle blew on a hard-fought win in south Wales, they could almost touch their return ticket to the top flight.
The grins adorning the faces of the visiting players as they departed the Liberty Stadium showed the manner of the vital victory mattered not one bit.
"Never mind the details," said their expressions. "Just look at the table."
Because while Nottingham Forest's faltering campaign hit another pothole at Oakwell, the Baggies cashed in fully and killed off their only other genuine challengers in the process.
Victory took the Baggies 12 points clear of last night's opponents and ended any lingering hopes the Swans might have had of gatecrashing the battle for the Championship's automatic promotion berths.
More importantly, the win at the Liberty Stadium combined with Forest's sixth successive away defeat gave Roberto Di Matteo's men an imposing eight-point gap over their East Midlands rivals.
Di Matteo and his players took the right tone and delivered an appropriate note of caution as they reflected on the third positive result of a potentially pivotal week.
Yet their jubilant celebrations in front of the small band of travelling supporters at the final whistle betrayed their emotions.
They knew in their collective gut that a night when the key moments went their way had left them in a dominant position in the battle for the top two.
Work remains to done if Di Matteo and Co are to reclaim immediately the top-flight status that Tony Mowbray's Baggies surrendered last term.
But the Baggies and their supporters now know Forest must conjure up a special run in the final nine games of the season to bridge the gap that has opened dramatically in a week of huge power-shifts near the Championship summit.
Just 10 days have elapsed since defeat at QPR cast fresh doubts over Albion's ability to stay the course.
Yet the difference in mood from then to now is immense. Momentum is now firmly back with the Baggies.
Swansea trudged away last night feeling shattered and robbed by the nature and timing of Albion's all-important goals.
Yet it was tough to summon a great deal of sympathy for Paulo Sousa and his side, who refused steadfastly to abandon their ultra-cautious approach, even for a game in which a point appeared to be of little use to them.
Only a significant blow-up in the closing weeks of the campaign could deny them a play-off spot, but they began last night's game as a handy each-way bet to sneak ahead of Albion and Forest.
They needed a win, however. And they simply would not go the extra mile to get it.
They had the better of the half-chances that arrived in a tedious first 70 minutes of 'action' without ever requiring Albion captain Scott Carson to pull off a genuine save.
The declined to switch from their defence-minded 'Plan A'.
And now, it seems, the safety-first philosophy that gave them an outside shot at a top-two place will prevent them from cashing in on the opportunity.
For much of the night Albion were on the back foot and, on a handful of occasions, Di Matteo's men rode their luck.
But in the final throws of the night the Baggies found an extra gear that their hosts either did not possess or refused to engage.
For that reason, it was tough to begrudge the visitors their victory, despite the hint of 'smash and grab' that it carried.
Swansea held the edge in a flat first half but there was little at either end to excite spectators as the promotion rivals largely cancelled each other out.
The only significant opportunities fell to the hosts, first when Nathan Dyer cut in from the right, beat Jonas Olsson and nearly scored a bizarre opener with a poorly-hit cross that rattled the Baggies' woodwork.
And a left-wing cross from Mark Gower caused some alarm in the Albion box but neither Dyer or Cedric van der Gun could turn it in.
For the most part the second half was equally uninspiring with neither side willing to risk their one point in search of three.
Some fine footwork and a smart from Graham Dorrans allowed lone Albion striker Luke Moore to stretch his legs but his shot from a tight angle was saved by Dorus De Vries.
And a couple of long-range shots straight at Carson were all the Swans could muster as the game meandered towards stalemate.
That was until Giles Barnes stepped off the bench, cut into the Swansea box, drew a tackle from Angel Rangel and hit the deck.
The Swans claimed furiously that the wideman had dived while Barnes was adamant he was fouled. Whatever the reality, referee Roger East pointed to the spot and Graham Dorrans kept his nerve for a stunning eighth time this season to finish from the spot with a little help from De Vries's left-hand upright.
Only then did Swansea embrace the need for some adventure, and they were hit on the break as they strived for an equaliser, Miller springing the offside trap to collect a Dorrans through-ball, rounding De Vries then taking an age to finish from a yard.
It took a while, but the Baggies were the first visiting team since November to score twice at the Liberty Stadium.
Miller's goal ended any doubt over the result and gave the delighted band of supporters behind De Vries's goal a full five minutes of stoppage time to acclaim the magnitude of the result.
Promotion is now Albion's to lose. And their nervous fans can start to believe.
By Steve Madeley.