West Bromwich Albion entered Sunday near the relegation zone, but they're comfortably mid-table after a very simple 4-0 win over Burnley. The newly promoted Clarets continue to struggle, and are now bottom of the Premier League.
3 things we learned from West Brom’s easy 4-0 win over Burnley
West Bromwich Albion had absolutely no problem crushing Burnley on Sunday.
Stu Forster
It was clear from the opening whistle that Burnley were going to set out to frustrate West Brom, keep a clean sheet and worry about scoring second. It could have made for a very drab game with no goals, but the Baggies were excellent on set pieces, and scored them quite easily.
Craig Dawson -- a central defender with an incredible scoring record in lower leagues -- put West Brom ahead in the 30th minute by overpowering his man and heading in a corner. Just before halftime, the hosts doubled their lead through the exact same means, with Graham Dorrans flicking a header backwards across the face of goal, where Saido Berahino was waiting to tap in.
Burnley switched to a 4-4-2 formation at halftime, introducing Nathaniel Chalobah and Ashley Barnes, but they still couldn't find scoring chances. In the 56th minute, West Brom put the game away, with Dorrans assisting Berahino's second with a through ball on a counter-attack.
West Brom set up unsurprisingly conservatively from then on in, held the ball comfortably, and even managed to add another in the last minute. Burnley fell asleep at the end, and substitute Cristian Gamboa found Dorrans at the top of the box for their side’s fourth goal.
West Brom: Foster, Pocognoli (Gamboa 83’), Lescott, Dawson, Wisdom, Morrison, Gardner (Yacob 87’), Brunt, Sessegnon (Samaras 74’), Dorrans, Berahino
Goals: Dawson (30’), Berahino (45’), Berahino (56’), Dorrans (90’)
Burnley: Heaton, Mee, Shackell, Duff, Trippier, Boyd, Reid (Barnes 46’), Arfield, Kightly, Jutkiewicz (Sordell 68’), Wallace (Chalobah 46’)
Goals: None
3 things
1. Set pieces appear to be a problem for Burnley - The marking on West Brom’s first two goals was terrible, with Dawson and Berahino having very comfortable finishes. Burnley had two more men in the box than West Brom on both goals as well. If they can’t even defend corners with superior numbers, they’ll be relegated comfortably.
2. Saido Berahino is making a jump - Last season, Saido Berahino was promising, but his finishing and decision-making in front of goal wasn’t the greatest. This year, he looks much more mature and calm in the box. He could find himself on the fringes of the England team and in line for a big move next summer if he keeps this up.
3. Sean Dyche has a hard job ahead - Not only did Burnley lose 4-0, but they did it against a team that hasn’t been good this season, and West Brom’s four-goal margin of victory was well-deserved. Burnley simply don’t have many good players and their board isn’t willing to spend beyond their means. It’s pretty tough to see Dyche keeping them up.
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