- Carroll scores first goals since April 1, 2017
- First brace since Jan. 21, 2017
- McClean scores for Baggies
- West Brom winless since August
- West Ham out of the drop zone
Unique hairstyles and towering headers: That’s what Andy Carrol does, and the big Englishman beat Ben Foster twice to keep West Bromwich Albion winless since August following a 2-1 loss to West Ham United at the London Stadium.
James McClean put the Baggies ahead, but the lead would not last and West Brom remains in the drop zone with 16 points, five points behind the 15th place Hammers.
The match was also notable for an ugly incident in which West Brom’s Jake Livermore, incensed by something in the crowd, climbed into the stands.
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West Ham came flying out of the gate, with plenty of pressure down the right and an early Manuel Lanzini yellow card, but the visitors came closest to opening the scoring on an audacious Salomon Rondon chip that just passed the cross bar.
The Irons took five of the first six shots, but the Baggies scored the opener when Rondon set up James McClean on a counter attack. Alan Pardew’s Baggies had a look at their first win since August.
West Brom was cagey in pursuit of the win, and the Irons’ central midfield had problems with the Baggies’ superior numbers.
Carroll had trouble getting free up top, but the Baggies gave him an opening in the 59th minute. He hammered a Cresswell cross to the left of Foster to make it 1-1 in the 59th.
Arnautovic was denied by a charging Foster, and Angelo Ogbonna then made a timely intervention after Oliver Burke beat him for pace to a delightful through ball from Rondon.
Yet Carroll was there deep into stoppage time to send bubbles into the air when he hammered a shot behind Foster from an acute angle after an Arnautovic cross eluded Javier Hernandez.
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4 - Only Joey Barton (5) has assisted more Premier League goals for Andy Carroll than Aaron Cresswell. Understanding.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 2, 2018
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