Premier League
Man Utd0West Brom1

Manchester United 0-1 West Bromwich Albion

Jay Rodriguez
Jay Rodriguez scored his 11th goal of the season to secure victory for West Brom at Old Trafford

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said his players were "masters in complication" after their defeat by bottom side West Brom at Old Trafford.

The result saw Manchester City crowned Premier League champions, as they lead second-placed United by 16 points with five games each to play.

Albion secured the win thanks to a Jay Rodriguez header from Chris Brunt's corner as the home side failed to clear their lines.

"It was a bad reaction after the City victory, the consequence of that is complicated football," Mourinho said.

"Some players think it is stylish football. We were a complicated team and let them feel comfortable."

United's best chance of the game was a Romelu Lukaku header, which was superbly saved by Albion goalkeeper Ben Foster.

City manager Pep Guardiola had claimed he would be on the golf course on Sunday afternoon and would not watch the game.

The win was West Brom's first since a 2-0 success over Brighton on 12 January and only their fourth all season.

However, Premier League survival still looks unlikely for the Baggies, who are nine points adrift of 17th-placed Swansea with four matches remaining.

Man Utd leave the handbrake on

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Man Utd 0-1 West Brom: Jose Mourinho criticises United players

Last weekend saw United complete a stunning comeback victory over City as they came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Etihad Stadium.

In that match, Mourinho's side produced a poor first-half display before they rallied to deny City what would have been the sweetest of coronations as champions.

United should have been surfing the crest of the wave following that victory, but instead they fell flat against West Brom.

With the exception of the chance for Lukaku - and a penalty appeal when Ander Herrera was caught by Craig Dawson - it was a soporific first half for the home fans.

"Attack, attack, attack" was the call from the Stretford End after the break and while United were more purposeful with the directness of Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial, they could not find an equaliser.

It is hard to imagine United would have approached a home game against the bottom club, particularly in the first half, in such a way under Sir Alex Ferguson's management.

In situations such as these - with United being second in the table - Ferguson may have trusted his players to play with more freedom and blow West Brom away, which begs the question of whether Mourinho has the same faith in his squad to deliver.

Afterwards, Mourinho indicated that his players did not execute the game plan as he had hoped.

"Everything was slow, one more flick, trick, turn. There was no fluidity," he said.

Perhaps the only comfort for United supporters is that City were denied the kind of thrilling champagne moment that fans crave.

Instead, the title was decided on a wet Sunday afternoon when the new champions were not playing. It is hard to imagine City's players and Guardiola being too bothered by that, though.

Moore enhances his credentials

Darren Moore
Darren Moore played 104 league games for West Brom between 2001 and 2006

Caretaker boss Darren Moore is a popular figure at Albion and has quickly introduced the kind of togetherness and organisation so stark by its absence under Alan Pardew, who was sacked at the beginning of the month.

The Albion board may want a more experienced hand at the tiller next season, while the fans will probably crave a bigger name in management terms.

However, Moore has done his reputation no harm whatsoever as his players produced a performance which married commitment with tactical discipline.

When asked if he wanted to be the next Albion boss, Moore said he was "just focusing on the team and performances".

West Brom finished with their backs to the wall but had chances of their own, and Jake Livermore had earlier tested David De Gea with arguably the best opportunity before the break.

This was West Brom's first league away win in 16 attempts and ended a 12-match streak without a victory - a run which included 11 straight defeats.

It also emphasises how misguided the appointment of Pardew now appears.

If Moore was able to coax such a performance out of these players, then what could he, or an alternative choice, have done with more time?

Another miserable day for Pogba

Paul Pogba's two goals against City felt like a defining moment for the France midfielder during a season which has had more downs than ups.

However, United's record £89m signing followed it up with a underwhelming display on the left of midfield in a 4-3-3 system.

Pogba was substituted by Mourinho in the 58th minute and the player departed proceedings with an air of resignation rather than annoyance at the decision.

It will inevitably lead to more questions over whether Pogba and United are such a good fit, given the sense he has yet to fully display his ability on a consistent basis.

Mourinho was asked whether he took off Pogba because he had a yellow card and was at risk of getting sent off.

The Portuguese gave a cryptic one-word response: "Also."

Man of the match - Ben Foster (West Brom)

Ben Foster
West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster made two important saves - both from Romelu Lukaku - and was generally a reassuring presence behind the visitors' defence

'The players expressed themselves' - what they said

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Man Utd 0-1 West Brom: Darren Moore delighted for Baggies players

West Brom caretaker boss Darren Moore: "We played against a really formidable team today, asked a lot of questions, but everyone worked hard and did their jobs.

"I'm proud for players and staff and way they have acquitted themselves today.

"I want the players to express themselves, show the outside world what good players they are. I am pleased we managed to show everyone that."

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho: "I won eight titles and I am not on the moon because I won against Manchester City.

"I saw lots of people on the moon because we won against City. You could see the difference in the attitude to players compared to last week.

"We deserve to be punished, but the defeat was too heavy."

Old Trafford's title record - the stats

  • This was the fifth season in which the Premier League title was decided at Old Trafford - more than any other ground in the competition.
  • West Brom have lost one of their past five Premier League visits to Old Trafford (W3 D1 L1)
  • This was just the second time in Premier League history that United have lost at home to a side starting that day as the bottom club.
  • Darren Moore has taken two matches to equal Alan Pardew's total number of Premier League wins (one in 18 games) as West Brom manager.
  • Moore has led Albion to four points in his two games as caretaker boss - the same tally of points Alan Pardew secured in his final 11 league games in charge.
  • Jay Rodriguez has scored three goals in his past four Premier League appearances - as many as he did in his previous 26 combined.

What's next?

Manchester United visit Bournemouth in the Premier League for a 19:45 BST kick-off on Wednesday. They then have an FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham at Wembley on Saturday (17:15). West Brom host in-form Liverpool in Saturday's early Premier League match (12:30).

Line-ups

Man Utd

  • 1de Gea
  • 25A Valencia
  • 12Smalling
  • 2Lindelöf
  • 18YoungSubstituted forRashfordat 75'minutes
  • 21HerreraSubstituted forLingardat 45'minutes
  • 31Matic
  • 6PogbaBooked at 29minsSubstituted forMartialat 58'minutes
  • 8Mata
  • 9R Lukaku
  • 7Sánchez

Substitutes

  • 4Jones
  • 5Rojo
  • 11Martial
  • 14Lingard
  • 19Rashford
  • 39McTominay
  • 40Castro Pereira

West Brom

  • 1Foster
  • 2NyomBooked at 77mins
  • 25Dawson
  • 26Hegazi
  • 3Gibbs
  • 10PhillipsSubstituted forKrychowiakat 77'minutes
  • 8Livermore
  • 11BruntSubstituted forYacobat 90+4'minutes
  • 14McClean
  • 19Rodriguez
  • 9RondónSubstituted forSturridgeat 85'minutes

Substitutes

  • 5Yacob
  • 13Myhill
  • 15Sturridge
  • 16Gabr Mossad
  • 17Burke
  • 20Krychowiak
  • 28Field
Referee:
Paul Tierney
Attendance:
75,095

Match Stats

Home TeamMan UtdAway TeamWest Brom
Possession
Home70%
Away30%
Shots
Home14
Away10
Shots on Target
Home4
Away4
Corners
Home4
Away4
Fouls
Home8
Away13

Live Text

Match ends, Manchester United 0, West Bromwich Albion 1.

Full Time

Second Half ends, Manchester United 0, West Bromwich Albion 1.

Foul by Jesse Lingard (Manchester United).

Claudio Yacob (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Substitution

Substitution, West Bromwich Albion. Claudio Yacob replaces Chris Brunt.

Offside, Manchester United. Nemanja Matic tries a through ball, but Alexis Sánchez is caught offside.

Attempt saved. Chris Smalling (Manchester United) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Antonio Valencia.

Foul by Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United).

Craig Dawson (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Substitution

Substitution, West Bromwich Albion. Daniel Sturridge replaces Salomón Rondón.

Antonio Valencia (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Foul by James McClean (West Bromwich Albion).

Attempt missed. James McClean (West Bromwich Albion) left footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right.

Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Jesse Lingard.

Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Grzegorz Krychowiak.

Booking

Allan Nyom (West Bromwich Albion) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

Anthony Martial (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Foul by Allan Nyom (West Bromwich Albion).

Substitution

Substitution, West Bromwich Albion. Grzegorz Krychowiak replaces Matt Phillips.

Substitution

Substitution, Manchester United. Marcus Rashford replaces Ashley Young.

Attempt missed. Anthony Martial (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Alexis Sánchez.

Attempt blocked. Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Juan Mata.

Goal!

Goal! Manchester United 0, West Bromwich Albion 1. Jay Rodriguez (West Bromwich Albion) header from very close range to the centre of the goal following a corner.

Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Ashley Young.

Attempt missed. Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Juan Mata.

Victor Lindelöf (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Foul by Salomón Rondón (West Bromwich Albion).

Attempt saved. Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Nemanja Matic.

Attempt missed. Jay Rodriguez (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Salomón Rondón.

Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Ahmed Hegazi.

Anthony Martial (Manchester United) wins a free kick on the left wing.

Foul by Allan Nyom (West Bromwich Albion).

Substitution

Substitution, Manchester United. Anthony Martial replaces Paul Pogba.

Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Chris Smalling.

Alexis Sánchez (Manchester United) wins a free kick on the left wing.

Foul by Allan Nyom (West Bromwich Albion).

Attempt blocked. Matt Phillips (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Jake Livermore.

Foul by Paul Pogba (Manchester United).

James McClean (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

Attempt missed. Juan Mata (Manchester United) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Paul Pogba.

goal

As It Stands

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Man City33283293256887
2Man Utd33225663263771
3Liverpool342010478354370
4Tottenham33207665303567
5Chelsea33186957332460
6Arsenal331661162451754
7Burnley33141093329452
8Leicester331110124947243
9Everton34119143954-1542
10Newcastle33118143542-741
11Bournemouth34911144156-1538
12Watford34107174260-1837
13Brighton33811143146-1535
14Huddersfield3498172754-2735
15West Ham32810144058-1834
16Crystal Palace34810163654-1834
17Swansea3389162746-1933
18Southampton33513153353-2028
19Stoke3369183063-3327
20West Brom34412182752-2524
View full Premier League table

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