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Saido Berahino strikes twice in West Brom romp against Burnley Saido Berahino strikes twice in West Brom romp against Burnley
(about 1 hour later)
Three victories in the space of eight days and The Hawthorns is a very happy place to be once again. Alan Irvine responded to the West Bromwich Albion fans’ requests for a wave, Chris Brunt’s name was chanted and the final whistle was met with cheers on a day when Saido Berahino scored two goals and just about everything clicked into place for the Midlands club. Three victories in the space of eight days and The Hawthorns is a happy place to be once again. Alan Irvine responded to the West Bromwich Albion fans’ requests for a wave, Chris Brunt’s name was chanted and the final whistle was met with cheers on a day when Saido Berahino scored twice to enhance his reputation and open the door to talk of a possible England call-up.
What a change from a couple of weeks ago, when Albion lost 2-0 at home against Everton and were booed off. What a change from a couple of weeks ago, when Albion lost 2-0 at home against Everton and were booed off. On that occasion, Brunt, the captain, was jeered by his own supporters and Irvine, an unpopular appointment as head coach in the summer, looked like a man with little goodwill to fall back on and desperate for some respite.
On that occasion, Brunt, the captain, was jeered by his own supporters and Irvine, an unpopular appointment in the summer, was still desperately seeking his first win since taking over as head coach. In the blink of an eye Irvine has now overseen Albion’s best run – three straight wins – since November 2012 and they are up to 10th in the table. In the blink of an eye Irvine has overseen West Brom’s best run since November 2012 – three successive wins in all competitions – and they are up to 10th in the table after goals from Craig Dawson and Graham Dorrans, either side of Berahino’s double, helped Albion to beat a toothless and desperately poor Burnley team.
In truth, the result never looked in doubt here from the moment that Craig Dawson headed Albion in front in the 30th minute. Bigger tests lie ahead for Irvine’s players – Liverpool and Manchester United are up next – but this was a match for Albion, and Berahino in particular, to savour. The 21-year-old has scored five goals this season, including four in the Premier League, which makes him the leading English marksmen. With Ray Lewington, Roy Hodgson’s assistant, and Gary Neville, the England coach, looking on from the stands, it was not a bad day for Berahino to demonstrate his predatory instincts in front of goal.
Berahino doubled Albion’s lead just before the interval and then added a third early in the second half to put the game to bed. Graham Dorrans, who set up both of Berahino’s goals and was the game’s outstanding performer, applied the gloss when he swept home the fourth in the 90th minute. Hodgson is aware of Berahino from his time in charge at Albion and the England manager mentioned the forward as a prospect back in December, when the World Cup draw was being made. An England Under-21 international, Berhaino started last season in similar fashion to this one – a year ago to the day he got the winner at Old Trafford to take his tally to five – but he lost his way badly during the second half of the campaign and picked up a reputation for being a difficult character.
It was a sobering afternoon for Burnley, who are now bottom of the Premier League table on goal difference and, on this evidence, destined for a quick return to the Championship. Irvine, however, seems to be pressing the right buttons to get the best out of Berahino, and with Hodgson’s striking options so limited, the possibility of a call-up is not that outlandish.
They have gone 616 minutes without scoring in all competitions – dating back to Scott Arfield’s strike against Chelsea in the opening game of the season – and it was hard not to feel some sympathy for a team that, to put it bluntly, looked out of their depth at this level. “If he keeps on playing like that and he keeps on scoring goals, he’ll get all those rewards,” Irvine said. “I don’t think Roy will be looking and saying he’s too young or anything like that. He’ll put him in as he has shown already if he feels that he is the best player for the position. But right now, Saido’s got to keep working the way he does. He stays to do finishing after training every day, and he’s getting the benefits from all of that.” ”
It had been hard to see any way back for Burnley when Berahino added his first and Albion’s second on the stroke of half-time. While this was a hugely satisfactory result for Irvine, who had maintained after the Everton match that nothing was quite as bad as it seemed, Sean Dyche was unable to take any positives from his heaviest defeat as Burnley manager.
Sean Dyche’s side had offered precious little as an attacking force - the story of their season so far – they were overrun in central midfield, where the absence of the injured Dean Marney and David Jones hardly helped, and vulnerable at the back, especially on corners. After keeping clean sheets in their previous three games, Burnley were all over the place defensively against Albion and conceded twice from corners. At the other end of the pitch nothing has changed. It is now 616 minutes – dating back to Scott Arfield’s strike against Chelsea in the opening game of the season – since they scored.
Both Albion’s first-half goals came from that source. Dawson, climbing above Jason Shackell at the back post, headed home Chris Brunt’s inswinging corner to put Albion ahead. It was Dawson’s first Albion goal and came against the club that were so desperate to sign him in the summer. Burnley had three bids turned down and Dawson handed in a transfer request at one stage. Burnley’s prospects had looked bleak by half-time. Dawson, a player Burnley had tried to sign in the summer, headed home Brunt’s corner and a second goal soon followed from another training ground routine. This time Dorrans darted to the near post to flick on James Morrison’s corner for the unmarked Berahino to nod in from inside the six-yard box.
The second was another straight off the training ground, this time delivered to the near post, where Dorrans timed his run well to flick on James Morrison’s corner for the unmarked Berahino to nod in. That goal had been coming, only two minutes earlier Dorrans, striding forward into the space that opened up invitingly front of him, struck a scorching 30-yard drive that Tom Heaton was a full stretch to tip over the bar. The same two players combined in the 56th minute, when Berahino sprinted on to Dorrans’ pass before beating Tom Heaton with an angled shot into the far corner.
They made two changes at the break, bringing on Nathaniel Chalobah and Ashley Barnes, but the pattern of the game remained the same, with Albion in total control. With Albion becoming a little complacent, Burnley finally registered a notable attempt on goal when Ben Foster repelled Lukas Jutkiewicz’s powerful header midway through the second half, but normal service resumed late on when Dorrans converted Cristian Gamboa’s cut-back to complete the rout.
The inevitable third goal arrived in the 56th minute, when Dorrans, afforded the time and space to pick a pass midway inside the Burnley half, released Berahino. Breaking into the right-hand side of the penalty area, Berahino slid a low angled shot across Heaton and into the bottom corner. It was the 66th minute before Burnley produced an attempt worthy of note at the other end, Lukas Jutkiewicz meeting a Kieran Trippier cross with a powerful header that drew an instinctive save from Ben Foster. “That’s a massive learning curve today,” said Dyche, whose team are now bottom. “We were carrying too many players.”.
With Albion starting to become a little complacent, another Burnley chance arrived moments later but Barnes, set up by Marvin Sordell, wafted his shot over the bar. Man of the match Graham Dorrans (West Bromwich)
Normal service resumed, however, when Dorrans converted Cristian Gamboa’s cut-back to complete the four-goal rout with only one minute left on the clock..
WBA: (4-2-3-1) Foster; Wisdom, Lescott, Pocognoli (Gamboa 83); Morrison, Gardner (Yacob 86); Dorrans, Sessegnon (Samaras 74), Brunt; Berahino
Subs not used: Myhill, Mulumbu, McAuley, Blanco
Bookings: Dorrans
Burnley: (4-1-4-1) Heaton; Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Mee; Reid (Chalobah 46), Wallace (Barnes 46), Arfield, Boyd, Kightly; Jutkiewicz (Sordell 67)
Subs not used: Gilks, Ward, Keane, Long
Bookings: Chalobah, Mee
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Man of the match: Graham Dorrans (WBA)