Goals:

0-1: Anichebe (32, stole in front of Ryan Taylor to head home Gardner’s right-wing free-kick at the front post)

1-1: Perez (41, controlled Ryan Taylor’s free-kick inside the area and drilled a low strike into the bottom right-hand corner)

Bookings: Gutierrez (31, foul), Dawson (52, foul), R Taylor (78, foul), Morrison (82, foul), Yacob (85, foul)

Referee: Chris Foy (St Helens) – Might well have sent off for Morrison for a dreadful second-half challenge on Ryan Taylor that only resulted in a booking 4

Attendance: 47,894

Entertainment: **

 

NEWCASTLE (4-2-3-1):

6 Krul: Couldn’t have done anything with the West Brom goal and made two important late saves to deny Berahino

7 Anita: Has struggled in a number of previous appearances at right-back, but proved a solid and capable addition to the side

7 Coloccini: Much better than he had been at Leicester – which wasn’t hard – and at least proved he can play as well as pen letters

7 Dummett: Passed a late fitness test to play and helped shore up the Magpies backline with some important interventions

6 Gutierrez: Thrown in at left-back and didn’t let anyone down, with his work rate the most impressive part of his game

6 R Taylor: Avoided a repeat of the meltdown he experienced at Leicester, but it’s still hard to see why he’s selected ahead of Abeid

8 COLBACK: Ensured that Newcastle shaded the midfield battle and won more tackles than anyone else on the field

7 Perez: Quiet for much of the game, but exploded into life when it mattered with a clinical finish to claim his seventh goal of the season

6 Sissoko: Livelier than he has been for a while and almost claimed a first-half goal with a shot that was cleared off the line

5 Cabella: Continues to frustrate – the ability is clearly there, but he is wasteful in possession and reluctant to take enough of a risk

4 Riviere: Still searching for his first Premier League goal, and still no closer to finding it – last summer’s biggest transfer flop

 

Subs:

Cisse (for Riviere, 68): Unsurprisingly, didn’t look match fit, but almost teed up Sissoko with a wonderful late back-heel 5

Ameobi (for Perez, 85)

Abeid (for Anita, 90)

(not used): Woodman (gk), Satka, Aarons, Gouffran.

 

WEST BROM (4-5-1):

Myhill 6; Dawson 8, McAuley 7, Olsson 7, Lescott 7; Gardner 6 (Berahino 68, 6), Yacob 5, Mulumbu 5 (Morrison 55, 5), Fletcher 5, Brunt 6; ANICHEBE 8 (McManaman 78).

Subs (not used): Rose (gk), Wisdom, Baird, Ideye.

 

Man Of The Match: JACK COLBACK – There hasn’t been much to applaud on Tyneside this season, but Colback’s reliably effective midfield displays have provided a rare bright spot.