BBC SPORT | Football | Premiership (original) (raw)

Richard Dunne's freak own goal gifted West Brom a point after they had been totally outplayed by Manchester City.

Thomas Gaardsoe's early red card for a professional foul on Robbie Fowler made West Brom's already tough task harder.

Nicolas Anelka's first half free-kick looked to have won it for City, but ominously they failed to take numerous chances to add to the scoreline.

With five minutes left, an optimistic ball forward struck Dunne's knee and rolled past a stranded David James.

Albion began in unsurprisingly cautious fashion after their hammering by Liverpool on Sunday, and scarcely came out of their own half in the first 15 minutes.

Baggies captain Darren Purse snuffed out City's first chance when he unwittingly blocked Fowler's header as the home side took comfortable control of the match.

It was already looking ominous for West Brom when they went down to 10 men after Gaardsoe hauled down Fowler on the edge of the box.

Russell Hoult did well to keep out Anelka's low long-range effort as City easily controlled the game and it was only a matter of time before they went ahead, with Anelka the scorer.

He curled an unreachable free-kick into the top right-hand corner after Andy Johnson handled just outside the area.

City keeper James did not have a save to make until the 45th minute of a half which was spectacularly one-sided.

Torrential rain and the fact the game was such one-way traffic made for a leaden atmosphere, as Fowler did his best to add to City's lead, but could not find a way past Hoult, West Brom's busiest and best player.

Bryan Robson sent on Rob Hulse and Robert Earnshaw late on in a last-ditch attempt to steal a point.

And with five minutes left, Dunne tried to intercept Paul Robinson's long ball forward to Earnshaw, but only succeeded in putting it into his own net to gift West Brom an unlikely point.

Man City: James, Mills, Distin, Dunne, Jordan (Onuoha 45), Shaun Wright-Phillips, Barton, Bosvelt, Sibierski, Fowler, Anelka.
Subs Not Used: Macken, Waterreus, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Flood.

Goals: Anelka 32.

West Brom: Hoult, Scimeca (Albrechtsen 64), Gaardsoe, Purse, Robinson, Greening (Earnshaw 82), Johnson, Clement, Wallwork, Gera (Hulse 76), Horsfield.
Subs Not Used: Koumas, Kuszczak.

Sent Off: Gaardsoe (17).

Goals: Dunne 85 og.

Att: 47,177

Ref: A D'Urso (Essex).

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