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Match Analysis: West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Newcastle United

Sports Mole analyses West Bromwich Albion's 1-0 win over Newcastle United at The Hawthorns in the Premier League.

West Bromwich Albion moved away from the relegation zone with a 1-0 win over 10-man Newcastle United.

Saido Berahino scored the only goal of the match from the spot late on after Tim Krul conceded the penalty.

The Magpies had a series of chances late on, but could not get back on level terms.

Here, Sports Mole analyses the match further.

West Brom:
Shots 13
On target 4
Possession 46%
Corners 3
Fouls 7

Newcastle:
Shots 9
On target 3
Possession 54%
Corners 4
Fouls 15

Was the result fair?

On balance, yes. The home side had the better of the chances, particularly in the second half. Only a series of crucial saves from Krul had kept Newcastle on level terms prior to the penalty incident, but the goalkeeper can have no complaints after giving away a clear-cut penalty inside the final five minutes.

West Brom's performance

The Baggies took a while to get going, but created several good chances in the first half. They were dominant after the break, but that was helped by Mathieu Debuchy's dismissal. The home side missed a couple of good opportunities earlier in the match, but over the course of 90 minutes were the better of the two sides. They defended well, making sure that Yohan Cabaye and Loic Remy were always hurried when they got themselves into a potentially goal-scoring position.

Newcastle's performance

The visitors got off to a strong start, with Remy seeing plenty of the ball in the early part of the first half, but they struggled to maintain their momentum once West Brom found their way into the match. They made two crucial mistakes in the second half, resulting in the red card and the penalty, which ultimately cost them the game.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Saido Berahino: The England Under-21 may only have played half the match, but his impact was huge. West Brom had struggled to match Newcastle's possession in the first half, but Berahino's introduction at half time saw them get the ball up front with greater ease. The striker almost set up Luke Ridgewell for the opening goal, but for a poor finish by the defender. His penalty was well-taken to seal the win for the Baggies and end their run of nine games without a win.

Biggest gaffe

While Ben Foster was an early contender after accidentally punching his own defender, Billy Jones, in the face, Mathieu Debuchy has to take this for his red card. There was no way Lee Mason could do anything other than send him off after he charged two-footed into Claudio Yacob. It really cost his team, as they could not match West Brom while a man down.

Referee performance

Lee Mason only really had two big decisions to make, and he got them both right. Debuchy had to go for his two-footed tackle, while the penalty was definitely a penalty. There was some debate over whether Tim Krul should have been sent off for giving away the spot kick as he was the last man, but the official showed a bit of leniency.

What next?

West Brom: The Baggies host Crystal Palace in the third round of the FA Cup at the weekend.

Newcastle: Newcastle also face top-flight opposition at home in the FA Cup on Saturday, hosting Cardiff City.

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West Bromwich Albion's Burundian striker Saido Berahino cerebrates scoring their third goal during the English Premier League football match against West Ham United on December 28, 2013
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