Karim El Ahmadi and Ashley Westwood scored as Aston Villa produced a second-half comeback to earn a 2-2 draw from their Midlands derby with West Bromwich Albion tonight.
Shane Long had given the Baggies a two-goal advantage inside the first 11 minutes with a pair of solo efforts, as Steve Clarke's side enjoyed a dream start in his 50th Premier League game in charge of the club.
However, a triple substitution after the interval helped Villa turn the game around, as El Ahmadi and Westwood both struck in the space of nine minutes to secure the visitors a point.
Below, Sports Mole analyses whether the result was reflective of the action at The Hawthorns.
Match statistics:
West Brom:
Shots: 11
On target: 4
Possession: 51%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 9
Villa:
Shots: 15
On target: 7
Possession: 49%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 14
Was the result fair?
Albion came flying out of the blocks and perhaps should have been out of sight by the interval. Stephane Sessegnon missed twice from inside the box, with one of his opportunities falling to him unmarked and six yards out. Apart from that, though, it was Villa's character and brave attacking approach that got them back into the game and their second-half display was probably worthy of a point.
West Brom's performance:
Inspired by Long, there were glittering first-half performances from several Baggies players. Youssouf Mulumbu and Claudio Yacob completely controlled the midfield and Morgan Amalfitano showed the vision and flair that has made him an immediate favourite with the West Brom faithful. The Frenchman faded in the second period, though, as did many of Clarke's men and the fresh legs and energy of Villa's substitutes helped change the impetus in favour of the visitors.
Villa's performance:
Long immediately put them on the back foot, but was helped in doing so by some sluggish play from a Villa defence that was stretched from the outset. There were too many gaps for the Irishman to run into, but the visitors managed to get on the ball more often in the second half and starved him of service. Paul Lambert's trio of substitutes, although not directly involved in any of the goals, gave the Baggies something new to think about, and all of a sudden, a defence protected so well by Mulumbu and Yacob was exploited. Benteke's finishing was again a bit wayward, but it is only a matter of time with the Belgian.
Sports Mole's man of the match:
Shane Long: The Irishman was simply unplayable during the first half. He stretched Villa's defence with his runs in behind, and his finishing was exceptional - a powerful drive with his weaker foot for his first goal, which was set up by two sublime touches, and a delicate chip for his second. The fact that he did that while maintaining one of the most admirable work ethics in the league is even more impressive.
Biggest gaffe:
Villa had conceded three minutes into the contest and Bacuna gave them a bigger mountain to climb when he sloppily left a risky pass across goal to Ciaran Clark some distance short. Long pounced and finished with as much conviction as he did for his opener to punish Bacuna's error with Albion's second.
Referee's performance:
On a weekend full of refereeing controversies, Michael Oliver had no such drama surrounding his performance. He did not have any big decisions to make, but he allowed what at times was a fairly feisty derby to flow without pulling the game up for needless free kicks or producing unnecessary bookings.
What next?
West Brom: A trip to Alan Pardew's in-form Newcastle United, who along with the Baggies, are the only other club to currently have an even Premier League goal difference.
Villa: Lambert's men welcome bottom-of-the-table Sunderland, whom they beat 6-1 in the same fixture last season courtesy of a Christian Benteke hat-trick, to Villa Park this Saturday.
Joe Fish
