BAG TO BASICS
West Brom 2 Fulham 2: Ivan Cavaleiro equaliser denies Baggies win as relegation-threatened sides share points
SUPER-SUB Ivan Cavaleiro scored a dramatic diving header to cash in on Harrison Reed’s inch-perfect cross as Fulham snatched a crucial point.
However this was a day when both these relegation battlers will feel they could and should have won all three points.
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Fulham will curse themselves because they should have been out of sight by half-time but only had Bobby Decordova-Reid’s opener to show for their dominance.
However the introduction of £15.75million new signing Mbaye Diagne at half-time transformed Albion who hit back through Kyle Bartley and Matheus Pereira as momentum swung back in their favour, until Cavaleiro’s late equaliser.
Both sides ended the day still searching for their third win of the season - but both managers will feel they let it slip through their fingers.
Fulham reside at a romantic riverside Cottage but right now West Brom must feel the Hawthorns has become a haunted house of horrors for them.
The spectre of too many defeats hangs heavy around the place and playing there clearly spooks the Baggies who have begun to have a phobia about spending time here.
Big Sam tried to take the fear factor away by training at their stadium this week ahead of this massive relegation ‘six-pointer.’
But it didn’t appear to make much difference in a nightmare first half which will haunt the survival specialist when he pores over video re-runs which would definitely come into the x-certificate category.
It took Fulham 10 minutes to wake up to the fact that the home side were even more nervous than they were following an error-strewn start from both teams.
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Then Albion suddenly imploded as Fulham came alive and carved them open to take the lead with the simplest of goals.
Ademola Lookman drove the ball forward into Aleksandar Mitrovic’s chest and the comeback striker spun to thread a pass behind Albion’s flat back-five.
Kieran Gibbs was hopelessly out of position and Decordova-Reid couldn’t believe the time and space he had to calmly slot beyond Sam Johnstone, who had been cruelly exposed.
It was the 22nd goal scored by a visiting team to the Hawthorns without reply and at that point Albion looked as if they might get through the rest of the season without scoring on home soil again!
They were a mess and Fulham will be kicking themselves for not burying them when they had them at their mercy.
Instead, Decordova-Reid let them off the hook when he was given an identical chance to put this one to bed for Fulham after 18 minutes.
Once again Gibbs went AWOL as Mitrovic sliced through Albion’s wafer-thin defence with a cute pass and the Jamaican international sprinted through with only Johnstone standing between him and glory.
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However this time the winger beat the ‘keeper but the ball smacked off the base of Johnstone’s right post as Albion somehow survived.
Ten minutes later, with just 24 minutes on the clock Big Sam had suffered enough and hooked centre-back Dara O’Shea, who came off as Karlan Grant replaced him.
Big Sam didn’t hang around as he ditched his five man defence, opting for a 4-1-4-1 with Jake Livermore acting as speed bumps between his struggling defence and midfield.
At first it had little effect as Fulham continued to dominate and peppered Johnstone’s goal. But Loftus-Cheek, Decordova-Reid and Lookman wasted chances as Fulham clocked up eight shots without reply.
Lookman felt he should have had a penalty when Ajayi grabbed at him as he shot - and Scott Parker clearly agreed.
However the big defender just released in time to get away with it and Albion ended the half with a rare shot from Grant which Areola easily saved.
Big Sam had his work cut out at the break but somehow he managed to turn the game on it’s head with the introduction of his one ace in the pack.
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He sent for new £15.75million striker Mbaye Diagne, who had only arrived the previous day from Istanbul on a private jet.
It was worth the expense!
Suddenly the home side had a focal point up front and Fulham looked vulnerable.
Within two minutes of the restart Albion were level when centre-half Kyle Bartley produced a deft finish any striker would have been proud of.
Pereira’s cross deflected off Ola Aina to deceive Joachim Andersen and Bartley brilliantly flicked the ball beyond Areola to punish Fulham.
Midway through the second-half Diagne gave a glimpse of why he could yet be Baggies’ saviour.
The 6ft 4in Senegal striker swept in a brilliant low cross from the right and Pereira nipped in front of Aina to flick the ball home for his fifth goal in five games.
It was a sensational turnaround in fortunes with Albion now in control and Bartley almost finished Fulham off with a third, but his angled shot grazed the far post and Parker’s boys somehow survived.
The importance of that let-off became clear with 13 minutes left as Albion’s good work was undone by a piece of wing magic.
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Parker had thrown on Cavaleiro and Reed for one late push and it paid off spectacularly.
Reed produced a match-saving cross from the right which sped across the face of Albion’s goal and Cavaleiro held off Gallagher to send a stunning diving header beyond Johnstone from six yards.
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