Premier League: West Ham see off West Brom amid Robert Snodgrass controversy

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West Brom’s Matheus Pereira jumps for joy after pulling the Baggies level against West Ham at the London Stadium. Picture: STUFF SPORTS.

A Michail Antonio goal has another victory for West Ham United and denied the club’s former boss Sam Allardyce a precious point towards West Bromwich Albion’s Premier League survival bid.

Antonio, who scored the only goal of the game against Burnley at the weekend, struck again as the Hammers climbed to seventh with a 2-1 win over the Baggies.

West Ham led through Jarrod Bowen’s close-range effort but were pegged back by a strike from Matheus Pereira – Albion’s double-penalty hero in the win at Wolverhampton Wanderers which had reignited Allardyce’s rescue mission.

As usual Allardyce, back at the club he led to promotion in 2012, set out his side to respect the point and West Ham, again relying solely on Antonio in attack, initially lacked the nous to break them down.

Hammers defender Craig Dawson should have opened the scoring against his former side but planted a free header wide at the far post from a corner.

The first half was meandering towards a goalless conclusion when, in stoppage time, Vladimir Coufal burst into the area from the right.

The Czech fullback drilled in a cross which Bowen, with little time to react, managed to divert in with his chest from four yards out.

On 51 minutes West Ham’s defence backed off Pereira as he reached the edge of the box and the Brazilian winger made them pay with a low shot which arrowed into the bottom corner.

The decisive goal arrived in the 66th minute when Aaron Cresswell crossed, substitute Andriy Yarmolenko headed back across goal and Antonio hooked the ball over the line.

David Moyes’ Hammers are just two points adrift of fourth-placed Liverpool while West Brom remain second-bottom on 11 points.

Meanwhile, the Premier League is looking into why West Ham apparently struck an agreement with West Brom for Robert Snodgrass not to play in Tuesday’s (Wednesday NZT) game as part of the winger’s transfer between the two clubs.

Allardyce disclosed details of the transfer to his relegation-threatened team two weeks ago to explain the absence of Snodgrass.

“That was an agreement between the clubs that this game he would not be allowed to play,” Allardyce told broadcaster BT Sport ahead of the match in east London.

“We could only get the deal done with that agreement.”

West Ham are portraying it as a “gentleman’s agreement” rather than a formal part of the transfer.

But that could conflict with Premier League regulations which state that “no club shall enter into a contract which enables any other party to that contract to acquire the ability materially to influence its policies or the performance of its teams in league matches.”

 

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