A remarkable first half on Merseyside saw the Baggies, second-bottom in the top flight, race into a 2-1 lead inside 11 minutes against a Liverpool team pushing for a place in the Champions League. Roberto Firmino put Liverpool ahead in the fifth minute after a mix-up, only for Roddriguez to hit back with two well-taken goals. VAR, being trialled in English cup competitions this season, then took centre stage. Referee Craig Pawson denied West Brom a third goal after ruling out Craig Dawson’s effort by using VAR to determine that Gareth Barry was offside. Pawson then become the first English referee to consult a touchline monitor himself before awarding Liverpool a penalty for a foul on Mohamed Salah by Jake Livermore. That prompted furious protests by the visitors, with Barry booked for dissent, only for Firmino’s spot-kick to hit the crossbar. There was yet another VAR review prior to the break, before a Joel Matip own goal that put West Brom 3-1 up on the stroke of half-time was allowed. ‘MOCKERY’ Egypt striker Salah gave seven-time FA Cup winners Liverpool hope in the 78th minute with his 25th goal in just 32 appearances for the Reds, but Alan Pardew’s Premier League strugglers still booked their place in the last 16. “I thought we deserved what we got today,” West Brom manager Alan Pardew told BT Sport. Pardew, reflecting on the VAR stoppages, said: “I don’t know, it was just weird. We waited so long for the decisions, the stadium was… [Read full story]
LONDON, June 17, 2011 (AFP) - Champions Manchester United will kick off the defence of their Premier League crown at West Brom before facing Tottenham and Arsenal at Old Trafford, fixtures for the 2010/2011 season showed Friday. United will travel to The Hawthorns on August 13 before consecutive home games against Spurs and old rivals Arsenal. Sir Alex Ferguson's team will complete their domestic campaign with a trip to Sunderland on May 13 next year. Arsenal meanwhile will open their season against Newcastle at St James Park, where the Gunners squandered a 4-0 lead earlier this year as the Magpies…... [read more]
Arsenal's French striker Alexandre Lacazette is fouled by West Bromwich Albion's Egyptian defender Ahmed Hegazy (2nd left) during the English Premier League football match. (Paul ELLIS/AFP) The Frenchman took charge of his 811th Gunners league game, taking him past Alex Ferguson's Premier League record of 810.But his side were denied victory by Jay Rodriguez's 89th-minute penalty, awarded for handball against Calum Chambers to the fury of Wenger and his players.Arsenal had taken the lead six minutes earlier after a deflected Alexis Sanchez free-kick found its way into the West Brom net via a deflection off James McClean.The Gunners had been…... [read more]
Champions Manchester United will kick off the defence of their Premier League crown at West Brom before facing Tottenham and Arsenal at Old Trafford, fixtures for the 2010/2011 season showed Friday. Sir Alex Ferguson's team will complete their domestic campaign with a trip to Sunderland on May 13 next year. Arsenal meanwhile will open their season against Newcastle at St James Park, where the Gunners squandered a 4-0 lead earlier this year as the Magpies battled back to draw 4-4. Arsene Wenger's men then have a daunting home fixture against Liverpool before travelling to Old Trafford for their tie with…... [read more]
Striker Rickie Lambert has joined West Bromwich Albion from Liverpool on a two-year contract, his new club announced. LONDON: Striker Rickie Lambert has joined West Bromwich Albion from Liverpool on a two-year contract, his new club announced on Friday (Jul 31). The 33-year-old England international has signed for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £3 million (US$4.7 million, S$6.4 million). After excelling during a five-year spell at Southampton, Lambert joined boyhood club Liverpool in a £4 million deal last year, but he endured a frustrating time at Anfield, scoring only three goals. "Rickie is a good, strong, solid player…... [read more]
The Spaniard collected two yellow cards in just 158 seconds at the Hawthorns, as United were left to play with only 10 men for over an hour. LONDON: Juan Mata apologised to Manchester United fans on Monday (Mar 7) after the first red card of his career proved costly in a 1-0 defeat at West Brom on Sunday. The Spaniard collected two yellow cards in just 158 seconds at the Hawthorns, as United were left to play with only 10 men for over an hour. Mata was shown his first yellow for needlessly blocking a Darren Fletcher free-kick, and was…... [read more]
