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West Bromwich Albion stay steady to see off struggling Leicester City West Bromwich Albion stay steady to see off struggling Leicester City
(about 1 hour later)
Rotation may have its place, but the West Bromwich Albion manager, Alan Irvine, is reaping the benefits of a settled side. He has used just 12 outfield starters in the Baggies’ past six league games, and this result means they have picked up 11 points from the 18 available. Rotation has its place, but the West Bromwich Albion manager, Alan Irvine, appears to be reaping the benefits of fielding a settled side. In the Baggies’ past six Premier League games, Irvine has used 12 outfield starters, and three wins and two draws in that time means his side have picked up 11 points from 18.
The contrast with Leicester City is marked, and possibly instructive. The Foxes have now gone five games without a win since beating Manchester United 5-3 in September, and the manager, Nigel Pearson, has chopped and changed players in every one. Liam Moore, Dean Hammond, Riyad Mahrez and Leonardo Ulloa, all of whom started City’s previous game – a tame defeat at Swansea City – found themselves on the bench, as Pearson opted for a midfield diamond, featuring Esteban Cambiasso at its base, and gave striker Jamie Vardy the opportunity to use his pace alongside David Nugent, up front. The contrast with Leicester City is marked, and arguably instructive. They have now gone five games without a win since beating Manchester United 5-3 here on 21 September – failing to score in four of them –and their manager, Nigel Pearson, has chopped and changed players in every one.
The personnel may have changed, but it was the same positive formation that Pearson had employed in beating the Reds, and City certainly made a more purposeful start than of late, forcing the visitors on to the back foot. The Baggies looked solid in defence, though, and other than penalty shouts against Sébastien Pocognoli, for an accidental handball, and Joleon Lescott for a ball-first tackle on Vardy – both of which were rightly ignored by the referee, Stuart Attwell – City found it hard to create opportunities. It is true, as Pearson levelly pointed out, that Leicester looked much improved on their tame 2-0 defeat away to Swansea City last Saturday, and that luck played a considerable part in their defeat by West Bromwich Albion – most obviously in the second-half own goal, when the Leicester centre-half Wes Morgan headed an attempted clearance against Esteban Cambiasso and the ball rebounded past the wrong-footed goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel, and into the net.
West Brom, playing on the break, looked the more creative side. Saido Berahino twice came close to beating the offside trap before finally doing so, only for Kasper Schmeichel to save his shot from the edge of the penalty area. Stéphane Sessègnon also forced the City goalkeeper to save, while Leicester’s best chance of the first half hour was when Wes Morgan headed wide from Matty James’s corner. However, as Pearson also acknowledged, his side again struggled to create chances, despite returning to the midfield diamond formation, with Cambiasso at the base, which they had used in the success against Manchester United. “As a contrast to last week, there were a lot of positives,” Pearson said. “You could certainly argue we were unlucky in what was always going to be a relatively tight game.
Set-pieces continued to be the home team’s likeliest source of goals. Vardy, left unmarked and onside when West Brom’s defenders were slow to exit their penalty area after a corner, failed to execute an overhead kick, while, at the other end, another swift break resulted in Berahino laying the ball off for Chris Brunt to fizz a drive just over Schmeichel’s crossbar. “We looked more solid, more disciplined, the work ethic was there, and while we didn’t create too many opportunities, we were reasonably comfortable. It’s more what I’m looking for, without a shadow of a doubt.”
It was not entirely surprising that it took an own goal to break the stalemate, early in the second half. There was no Albion player in the immediate vicinity when Berahino pulled the ball back across the penalty area, but the diving Morgan contrived to direct his clearing header against the knees of Cambiasso, and the ball rebounded back past the wrong-footed Schmeichel, and into the goal. Leicester certainly made a more obviously purposeful start than of late, forcing the visitors on to the back foot. The Baggies looked solid in defence, though, and, playing on the break, more dangerous in attack.
With their unbeaten home record now firmly under threat, the Foxes picked up the pace. Vardy, running on to a long ball from Paul Konchesky, out-paced Craig Dawson before cutting back on to his favoured right foot, only to shoot straight at Ben Foster. Saido Berahino twice came close to beating the offside trap before finally doing so, only for Schmeichel to save his shot from the edge of the penalty area, while Leicester’s best chance of the first half-hour was when Morgan headed wide from Matty James’s corner.
Vardy was also close to getting on the end of a Nugent cross at the end of a move that began with Marcin Wasilewski flooring Berahino with a swinging elbow to the jaw. The Pole was fortunate in the extreme that referee Attwell, back in the Premier League, unaccountably chose to take no action. Set-pieces continued to be Leicester’s likeliest source of goals, while, at the other end, another swift break resulted in Berahino laying the ball off for Chris Brunt to fizz a drive just over Schmeichel’s crossbar.
Pearson brought on Ulloa, still the club’s top scorer, with five league goals, despite having failed to score on his past four appearances. Within minutes, he created City’s best chance, with a cross that Craig Gardner inadvertently glanced straight on to the head of Andy King. The midfielder had only Foster to beat from six yards out, but directed his header straight at the Albion goalkeeper. Even so, it was not entirely surprising that it took an own goal, shortly after the restart, to break the stalemate.
Irvine reacted by taking off Sessègnon and bringing on the rather more defensively minded Claudio Yacob. For all Leicester threw men forward in the final few minutes, the impression remained they would need a fortunate break to equalise: it never came. “It was fortunate, but it was a good move that lead to it,” said Irvine, referring to the manner in which Berahino pulled the ball back across the Leicester penalty area.
With their unbeaten home record now firmly under threat, the Foxes picked up the pace. Vardy shot straight at the Albion goalkeeper, Ben Foster, and was also close to getting on the end of a David Nugent cross, after a move that began with Marcin Wasilewski flooring Berahino with a swinging elbow to the jaw. The Pole was fortunate in the extreme that the referee, Stuart Attwell, back in the Premier League, either did not see it or unaccountably chose to take no action.
Pearson brought on Leonardo Ulloa, still the club’s top scorer, with five league goals, despite having failed to score in his past four appearances.
He soon created Leicester’s best chance, with a cross that Craig Gardner inadvertently glanced straight on to the head of Andy King. The midfielder had only Foster to beat from six yards out, but directed his header straight at the goalkeeper.
For all that Leicester threw men forward in the final few minutes, the impression remained that they would need a fortunate break to equalise: it never came.