Wolves 2 West Brom 3: Big Sam’s rescue mission finally underway as Pereira’s double seals first win after thriller
BIG SAM conjured up his first win as West Brom boss – against the club he never loses to!
Perhaps it’s time someone at Molineux ripped up the Wolves Supporters’ Club Membership card ….. registered to a certain S. Allardyce from Dudley!
The Baggies boss has now tangled with the team he supported as a boy nine times and Wolves have yet to lay a glove on him – as the 66-year-old has won seven and drawn two of those tussles.
However there is little doubt this unexpected win would have been the sweetest as he defied the odds to win his first Black Country derby in charge of ‘the old enemy.’
The fact he pulled this one out of the bag after his squad had been hit by a Covid-crisis which deprived him two of his mainstays, just made it all the more remarkable.
With fans like this who needs enemies!
Could Fireman Sam use this crucial win as a ladder to help Albion clamber out of the relegation zone to safety, to perform his greatest ever escape act?
If they continue to put their bodies on the line as they did here, deep in hostile territory he might just top his previous great escapes.
On the front foot from the start, Albion were bold in attack and brave at the back, winning two penalties and generally causing a nuisance of themselves to prolong Wolves recent run of poor results.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have taken just two points from a possible 18 and are spiralling into freefall without their talismanic Mexican striker Raul Jimenez.
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They fell behind to an early Matheus Pereira penalty after Willy Boly tripped Callum Robinson on the edge of his penalty area.
Ref Michael Oliver was in no doubt the offence took place on the 18-yard line line – part of the penalty area – and despite Boly’s protests of innocence VAR agreed with Oliver.
Pereira expertly sent Patricio the wrong way to open the scoring and give big Sam’s boys something to hold on to – if not themselves.
Somehow they managed to control their emotions and celebrated with polite fist pumps as they observed strict new protocol on celebrations.
Their grip on the game didn’t last long however and by half-time they were 2-1 down.
And this time the Covid celebration warnings went out of the window as 18-year-old Fabio Silva celebrated his first goal at Molineux and was hugged by his teammates in a five-man huddle which broke the new rules.
Seriously, what else did anyone really expect an excitable kid to do in the circumstances.
Wolves went even crazier when Boly redeemed himself for his penalty gaffe by firing them in front two minutes before the break.
Jake Livermore failed to clear a near post corner and the ball fell kindly for Boly, who calmly slid the ball into the far corner to give Wolves the lead.
At that point you would have bet on a resurgent Wolves to sway Albion.
Instead the visitors stepped it up a gear after the break and showed real character to come from behind and win this entertaining derby.
They highlighted the deficiencies in Wolves defence with a long throw into the mixer after 52 minutes which Kyle Bartley and Sami Ajayi got on the end of the flick to send a looping header beyond Patricio outstretched glove.
Four minutes later Wolves imploded as Conor Coady clipped Callum Robinson in the box and Periera went the other way this time to beat Patricio from the penalty spot for the second time.
Wolves were reeling and even took inspirational skipper Coady off in their efforts to salvage a point.
However this was big Sam’s day!
