By Terry Wills.
What an enthralling 94 minutes.
Albion facing Liverpool, a club that must have forgotten the feeling of losing against opponents who had succumbed so regularly down the years that the word ‘losing’ wasn’t part of their vocabulary. But it DID happen and as Chris Brunt’s second penalty hit the back of the net virtually every Baggies fan capable of standing did just that.
The Hawthorns was in uproar, and in added on time, as the ‘Pool’ went flat out for what would have been an undeserved equaliser, nerves were being shredded very close to breaking point. But at the final whistle the relief was massive. Three points, a first Greed League win (not to say a first goal!) against Liverpool plus a combination of other results, meant we were now four points clear of the bottom three automatic relegation spots.
Roy Hodgson had done it again. Five games, two wins and three draws, had (although he wouldn’t openly admit it) been a perfect revenge for his dismissal just a few months ago. Every player gave 100% effort and compared with the £35 million Andy Carroll (who at times resembled an Oscar-nominated Hollywood actor as he threw himself to the ground) Peter Odemwingie stood out.
Pace aplenty,an eye for a shooting opportunity and a willingness to chase anything remotely within range, Peter’s display summed up what every fan was thinking. We definitely won’t be relegated if we can keep replicate today’s performance
Moving on, and this week’s destination is the Stadium of Light to face a Sunderland side who will be eager to dispel the agony of being thrashed 5-0 against Manchester City. Another two-edged sword match. Is it a game that can be won as a result of them still feeling sorry for themselves and ripe for the picking, or will they be determined to exact revenge to appease Steve Bruce who, to put it mildly, wasn’t best pleased at the humiliation bestowed on his team?
Again, a point would be useful but should Albion make the long journey home with three points this would actually mean we’d be above the Mackems in the table. A highly unlikely scenario just a few weeks ago but even so, it could happen.
If it doesn’t then it wouldn’t come as a major surprise in this topsy-turvy, will they won’t they, season!
