West Brom earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium .
Vintage Pulis
West Brom manager Tony Pulis’ 1000th game in management drew a typically resilient performance. Albion offered very little going forward, but did a decent job nullifying any Stoke momentum.
Pulis kept his side compact and this played a part in Mark Hughes side’s nervy afternoon. It was only fitting that the equaliser came from the Pulis speciality of a well-executed set-play – the perfect way to end his milestone day.
The response
A fortnight ago, when Albion went behind away at Bournemouth, they had no response and Eddie Howe’s team were able to see out the final moments of the game for victory with ease. The lack of attacking urgency was a factor in the frustration of the travelling West Brom fans, who then voiced their displeasure, particularly at Pulis.
This weekend, however, Pulis’ response to Joe Allen’s goal for Stoke did help bring Albion back into the game. The introduction of James Morrison, Jonathan Leko and Hal Robson-Kanu shifted the momentum and finally put the Potters defence under some pressure.
Morrison provided much needed penetrating forward balls, and Robson-Kanu supported Rondon to occupy both Stoke centre-backs. Crucially, it was substitute Leko’s excellent corner that set up the equaliser.
Clinical Rondon
Being a lone striker in West Brom’s current system is a tough task. Rondon spends the majority of his game time hunting down the ball and feeding off half-chances or set-pieces. But the Venezuelan proved, once again, that he is the ideal man to lead the line with his tremendous attitude, work-rate – and now a growing confidence in front of goal.
The thankless job he does for the team was rewarded with his third goal of the season. Rondon demonstrated that he is the key to turning dire away performances into results.
Unsung heroes
Similar to Rondon, there are many players in this West Brom side who quietly chip in with important contributions to the team – none more so than Craig Dawson. The makeshift right-back had a tough afternoon up against Marko Arnautovic, but his tremendous header off the line from Glen Johnson’s chip rescued the Baggies in the first-half.
Claudio Yacob also did a routinely effective job of screening the Albion back four and helped to quell the threat of Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri when they drifted inside.
James McClean was recalled to the starting eleven for the West Ham game, and turned in another solid performance against Stoke. When the Republic of Ireland international is focused, he offers a good outlet on the left-wing – both defensively and bringing the ball forward. A mention should also go to Allan Nyom, who made an impressive full debut. He was up against Stoke’s most dangerous attacking player in Shaqiri, and did a good job containing him whilst playing out-of-position at left-back.
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