Cardiff 0-4 West Brom: Visitors return to the top of the Championship

Cardiff 0-4 West Brom: Visitors return to top of Championship with first win in Welsh capital for 47 YEARS… heaping further misery on under-pressure Mick McCarthy after fourth straight defeat

  • Karlan Grant opened the scoring for West Brom after being fed by Adam Reach
  • Curtis Nelson shanked an awful attempt to avert the danger into his own net
  • Alex Mowatt and Matt Phillips rubbed salt in Cardiff wounds with late strikes 
  • Mick McCarthy saw his team booed off at both half-time and at the final whistle

West Brom went top of the Championship with their first win in the Welsh capital since 1974.

Karlan Grant opened the scoring for the unbeaten Baggies at Cardiff City Stadium against an awful home side who have now lost four straight Championship matches.

Bluebirds boss Mick McCarthy saw his team booed off at both half-time and the final whistle and he was taunted by his own fans with chants of ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning.’

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West Brom went top of the Championship with their first win in the Welsh capital since 1974

Karlan Grant opened the scoring for the unbeaten Baggies at Cardiff City Stadium

Grant then forced Cardiff defender Curtis Nelson to put through his own net in the second half

Cardiff City (3-4-3): Phillips 6; Morrison (capt) 4, Flint 4, Nelson 3; McGuinness 5 (Moore 67, 5), Vaulks 4 (Colwill 75, 5), Pack 4, Brown 4; Bacuna 3, Collins 4 (Harris 67, 5), Giles 4

Substitutes not used: Smithies, Bagan, Ralls, Ng

Booked: Collins

West Bromwich Albion (3-4-3): Johnstone 6; Townsend 6, Bartley 6, Ajayi 7; Furlong 7, Livermore (capt) 7 (Molumby 81, 6), Mowatt 8, Reach 7; Robinson 8 (Phillips 63, 8), Hugill 7, Grant 8 (Diangana 63, 7)

Substitutes not used: Button, Kipre, Byran, Gardner-Hickman

Goals: Grant 5, Nelson 56 (OG), Mowatt 75, Phillips 82

Booked: Bartley

Referee: Graham Scott 6

Star man: Karlan Grant (West Brom)

Attendance: 17,363

 

Grant was the architect of the home side’s misery in a dominant West Brom win as he scored a fine opener and forced Cardiff defender Curtis Nelson to put through his own net in the second half.

Alex Mowatt and Matt Phillips rubbed salt in Cardiff wounds with late strikes.

Cardiff went into their meeting with the Baggies on the back of three straight Championship losses and a 5-1 hammering by Blackburn Rovers last time out.

Under-pressure manager McCarthy reacted by picking five centre-halves. Mark McGuinness made only his second appearance of the season following injury at right wing-back.

West Brom were ahead in just the fifth minute. Grant was fed by Adam Reach on the edge of the box. Cardiff captain Sean Morrison backed off fatally and Grant fired home.

Cardiff supporters booed as Aden Flint launched an awful long ball forward in search of a response and it would be kind to say his team were second best.

Phillips dived brilliantly to tip a curling effort around the post.

Cardiff were shocking. Their players looked uncomfortable in possession and Robinson worked Dillon Phillips again before the break although this time his shot was much weaker.

Cardiff’s Will Vaulks also had a free-kick blocked.

West Brom had to produce some last-gasp defending to stop Leandro Bacuna from tapping home at the start of the second half as the Baggies nearly shot themselves in the foot.

Alex Mowatt’s 25-yard half volley with his left foot was the icing on the cake for the visitors

And there was still time for Matt Phillips to tap home at the far post late on for the Baggies

Skipper Jake Livermore got back to save the day and it proved crucial as West Brom then made it 2-0. Grant’s cross from the left was clawed out by Dillon Phillips, Cardiff fluffed their chances to clear, and Nelson shanked an awful attempt to avert the danger into his own net.

Both Cardiff and Baggies fans reacted by mocking McCarthy in cruel fashion.

Jordan Hugill missed a sitter which would have inflicted more pain on Cardiff, but a stunning third from Mowatt was a deserved reward for the visitors.

Mowatt’s 25-yard half volley with his left foot after Cardiff cleared a Darnell Furlong cross was the icing on the cake for West Brom and completed a night of home misery for those of a Welsh persuasion and there was still time for Matt Phillips to tap home at the far post late on.

Grant (not pictured) was the architect of the home side’s misery in a dominant West Brom win




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