Bournemouth fought back from a Jay Rodriguez goal to end their four-match winless run as they emerged 2-1 victors at Dean Court.
A sinking Albion are now 10 points from safety with only seven games to play. Goals from Jordan Ibe and Junior Stanislas clinched the vital three points for the Cherries moving them up to tenth in the league.
Jay Rodriguez looked to have got the winning goal for Albion, which would have been their fourth league victory of the season, after he pounced on Salomon Rondon’s downward header early in the second half to fire West Brom in front.
The first half was dominated by scrappy touches, mistakes and poor efforts off target, but Albion had played quite well, looking the most likely to score out of the two teams. Bournemouth pushed for goals too, in the 31st minute it appeared Hagezi had tripped Josh King in the box following an attempt to win the ball. Replays suggest that a penalty would have been a just decision.
Alan Nyom continued to be a constant threat down the Bournemouth sideline, sending teasing crosses towards striker Salomon Rondon throughout the game. By the end of the game Albion had worked a tally of 11 shots, but only six on target, summing up their wasteful nature in front of goal.
But Pardew’s side lost their concentration first. During a defensive reshuffle following the substitution of captain Jonny Evans, Jordon Ibe took advantage as he cut in from the left to bounce a shot past keeper Ben Foster from 25 yards. A strike that struck heartbreak into the Albion bench, fans, and of course, for Pardew himself.
Even more so in the 87th minute Craig Dawson was shown a yellow card for a bad foul, which resulted in a quite wonderful goal. Stanislas stepped up having taken numerous free kicks throughout the game, curled a delightful effort into the top left corner, leaving Foster completely stranded.
Even then, the visitors might have nicked a point in the seventh minute of stoppage time. Phillips headed a Kieran Gibbs cross towards goal in a scramble, but Charlie Daniels managed to get back and clear off the line.
Bad News for Baggies
West Brom have lost 24 points from leading positions in the top flight this season, more than any other team. That 24-point haul is also the most the Baggies have ever lost from leading positions in a single Premier League campaign. Relegation is surely imminent.
What the managers say
West Brom Head Coach Alan Pardew
“It’s tough for my players in particular,” Pardew said. “We got in a great position, made a couple of errors and got punished, which has been the story of our season.
“Without it being our last chance, it’s nearing the last chance saloon. It was a galling way to end the game.”
Embed from Getty ImagesPardew later played down the speculation on his future, saying: “I get asked every week. When you’re losing, it’s difficult. I’m contracted here for another three years and I’m going to keep fighting until such time I’m told not to.”
Bournemouth head coach Eddie Howe
“I’ll take any way to win at this stage of the season. We played very well against Tottenham and Leicester and didn’t win either of those games, but we didn’t play well today and we won this one.
“I want as many points as we can get. We knew West Brom would make it tough. They’ve got a lot of experienced Premier League players but we had to find a way to win without playing well – it moves us closer to safety.”
Man of the Match: Jordan Ibe.
Written by Will Chattell.
