December 25, 2024

West Brom 1-1 Manchester United: Premier League – as it happened

West Brom #WestBrom

11.05am EST 11:05

Here’s Harry Maguire

“We created enough to win the game. For me their goal was a foul. We huffed and puffed and it was a great save from Sam at the end. We felt we deserved more than a point; we can do more, for sure, but it’s disappointing. It was a tough start, and we made it hard for ourselves by conceding early. Sometimes we played a little bit too slowly, but in the second half we played with a great tempo.

“I was so certain it was a penalty. I’ve got no idea why he was told to go and look at it on the monitor. I’m goal side of the defender, I feel a touch on my shoulder and a clip on my heel. It’s minimal, but it’s a penalty – when the referee points to the spot you think there’s no chance it’s getting overturned. But we can’t rely on VAR decisions, we’ve got to do more to win games. A draw’s no good for us.

“Of course we’re still in the title race. We’ve got to look ourselves. We’ve got to go again and win the next one, and then win the next one. It’s disappointing today.”

10.58am EST 10:58

That was a spectacular save from Sam Johnstone, who has become a seriously good goalkeeper. What a lovely moment, especially against his old club. As for the result, it isn’t much good for either side, though West Brom will be proud of their resilient performance. United were poor and didn’t really deserve anything more.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have now taken six points from their last five league games – although, contrary lot that they are, that poor run of form includes a 9-0 win. They have improved since last season but – as most people suspected, even during their giddy January – they are not yet good enough to challenge for the title.

Updated at 10.59am EST

10.53am EST 10:53

90+5 min: Johnstone makes a glorious save! Shaw swings in a deep cross from the left, which Maguire meets with an immense looping header from 12 yaqrds. It is about to drop into the net when Johnstone leaps to his left to fingertip it onto the post!

Fantastic save by Sam Johnstone. Photograph: Michael Steele/Reuters

Updated at 11.02am EST

10.50am EST 10:50

90+3 min Fernandes has a pop from 25 yards, but it’s an easy save for Johnstone.

10.50am EST 10:50

90+3 min Shaw’s deep corner is headed down by McTominay and hits a West Brom defender.

10.50am EST 10:50

90+2 min A nice flick from van de Beek finds Wan-Bissaka, who wins a corner. Shaw goes over to take it…

10.49am EST 10:49

90+2 min West Brom deserve at least a draw; they’ve had the better chances.

10.47am EST 10:47

90 min Greenwood charges into the area and flashes the ball across the face of goal. There was nobody in the six-yard box.

10.46am EST 10:46

89 min Diagne is booked for plunging his studs into Rashford’s achilles. That was a poor tackle.

10.46am EST 10:46

88 min: Diagne misses a sitter! West Brom should have won the game there. Gallagher played the ball out to Furlong, who curled a sensational low cross around Maguire and Lindelof. It reached Diagne at the far post, but he lifted a first-time shot over the bar from eight yards.

Updated at 10.48am EST

10.44am EST 10:44

87 min West Brom’s final change: Robert Snodgrass, who looks shattered, is replaced by Matt Phillips.

10.44am EST 10:44

86 min Fernandes floats the free-kick to the far post, where Furlong does superbly to head clear under pressure from Maguire. In fact, the referee has penalised Maguire.

10.43am EST 10:43

86 min Fernandes scored from a not dissimilar position against Liverpool last month, though this is slightly further to the left…

10.42am EST 10:42

85 min Rashford is hacked down just outside the area by Snodgrass, who is booked. The free-kick is a fair way to the left of centre, so it might be too wide for a shot.

10.39am EST 10:39

82 min For all Man Utd’s dominance, the West Brom keeper Sam Johnstone hasn’t had much to do in this match.

Updated at 10.39am EST

10.38am EST 10:38

81 min “With so much of discussion about the quality of Chelsea’s youngsters, how would you rate Conor Gallagher?” asks Kishalay Banerjee. “He seems to be having a decent season, with Bilic singing his praises near the start, but is he good enough to break into Chelsea’s first team?”

No. But he’s an impressive, busy player, and he’s only 21.

10.37am EST 10:37

80 min Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeere’s Donny. He has come on in place of Fred.

10.36am EST 10:36

78 min: Vital double save from de Gea! Diagne muscles Maguire off the ball on the edge of the area to move through on goal. De Gea blocks the shot with his legs and then, as the ball loops up towards Diagne, reacts really smartly to claw it away. Diagne was strangely indecisive on the second chance, though, waiting for it to drop onto his head rather than leaping to meet it halfway.

Photograph: Michael Steele/PA

Updated at 10.52am EST

10.32am EST 10:32

75 min West Brom break and Lindelof makes a vital lunging tackle on Diagne, who would have been through on goal had he got to the ball first.

10.32am EST 10:32

74 min Maguire rumbles forward and finds Shaw in the area, but his cutback is cleared at the near post. West Brom are starting to look really tired.

10.30am EST 10:30

72 min: Chance for West Brom! Snodgrass plays a fine pass out to Maitland-Niles on the left, and suddenly West Brom are two against one with only Maguire back. Maitland-Niles tries to stab the ball across to Diagne with the outside of his foot, but he gets too much on it and the ball runs through to de Gea.

10.27am EST 10:27

69 min: Furlong clears off the line! Wan-Bissaka’s fast low cross is put behind at the near post by Barkley. After a decent five-minute spell before the non-penalty, West Brom are back in defensive mode. Shaw’s corner is headed down by Maguire to Greenwood, whose low shot is kicked away by Johnstone. It rebounds to McTominay, whose follow up is cleared off the line by Furlong.

Updated at 10.28am EST

10.26am EST 10:26

69 min A draw would move United back to second, above Leicester on goal difference, though it would still be a pretty wretched result.

10.25am EST 10:25

68 min Rashford, on the left now, zips infield and is well challenged in the D by Gallagher.

10.24am EST 10:24

67 min And now a change for West Brom: Jake Livermore comes on for the quietly impressive Okay Yokuslu.

10.23am EST 10:23

66 min A change for Manchester United: Mason Greenwood replaces the sadly ineffective Anthony Martial.

10.22am EST 10:22

65 min “This game has strange echoes of United’s filleting by the Blades,” says Rick Harris. “The first goal in each match should have been ruled out for fouls, and although under the cosh for most of the game the Baggies could still nick the points with a deflected shot from one of their occasional excursions up the pitch.”

10.22am EST 10:22

64 min Apparently they didn’t check the offside, not that it matters now.

10.21am EST 10:21

Craig Pawson is going to the monitor. That suggests it wasn’t offside. Ajayi did put his hand on Maguire’s shoulder, and there might have been a tangle of legs. I don’t think it was a penalty – the hand on the shoulder wasn’t particularly strong – but I’m not sure it was a clear and obvious error either.

Photograph: Nick Potts/AP

Updated at 10.31am EST

10.19am EST 10:19

I think Maguire was offside, so this will probably be reversed. I’m not sure it was a foul anyway. Maguire went down very easily.

Updated at 10.29am EST

10.19am EST 10:19

PENALTY TO MAN UTD! Ajayi has been judged to have tripped Maguire in the area. Craig Pawson took an age to give it.

10.18am EST 10:18

61 min It’s still pelting down at the Hawthorns, since you asked.

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