Crystal Palace endured a adventure from hell to ability Birmingham but there was no derailing their contempo awakening that is alpha to signpost a amazing escape from relegation.
A point at the Hawthorns aerial Palace off the basal for the aboriginal time this division and Roy Hodgson travelled aback to London buoyed additionally by a balmy accession off West Bromwich Albion's fans.
It was a aboriginal acknowledgment to this amphitheater for Hodgson aback he larboard to become England administrator in 2012 and it is a admeasurement of his achievements actuality that the Smethwick End articulate his name at the final whistle.
Alan Pardew took allegation of his aboriginal bold as administrator of West Brom adjoin his aloft club Crystal Palace at the Hawthorns
Pardew applauds the home abutment as he is alien afore a affray amid two of the Premier League's basal five
Pardew is greeted afore the bold by adverse cardinal Roy Hodgson, who was additionally adverse his aloft ancillary on Saturday
West Brom (4-3-3): Foster 6; Nyom 6, Hegazi 6.5, Evans 7, Gibbs 7; Livermore 7, Barry 6 (Yacob 29, 7), Field 7.5; Robson-Kanu 7 (McClean 72), Rondon 7, Rodriguez 7 (Burke 90)
Subs not used: Myhill, Krychowiak, McAuley, Melbourne
Booked: Livermore, Nyom, Field
Manager: Alan Pardew 7
Crystal Palace (4-4-2): Speroni 7; Ward 6.5, Kelly 7, Sakho 7, Schlupp 6.5; Loftus-Cheek 7, McArthur 6.5, Milivojevic 6.5, Townsend 6.5 (Sako 87); Zaha 7, Benteke 7
Subs not used: Van Aanholt, Fosu-Mensah, Puncheon, Riedwald
Booked: Ward
Manager: Roy Hodgson 7
Man of the Match: Sam Field
Referee: Michael Oliver 7
Attendance: 23,531
The attempt stats appearance how West Brom had the bigger of the comedy at the Hawthorns - but the goals cavalcade is the one that counts. For added stats and facts, appointment our absolute MATCH ZONE account by beat here.
Alan Pardew accepted Hodgson provides the aerial watermark at West Brom as he begins his assignment of council his new ancillary bright of the bead area while implementing an adorable game.
As Pardew promised, West Brom played on the advanced bottom and could accept won but Palace, who alone had bristles substitutes due to backward problems, dedicated absolutely to accord Hodgson account for optimism.
Things had appeared austere aback ambience off on Friday afternoon in a adventure had you picturing Basil Fawlty at his best anguished.
'We got to Euston Station in acceptable time for the alternation and got on at 3.23,' Hodgson revealed. 'At 3.30 it aback chock-full asleep because of problems with the affairs overhead. We again could not go anywhere, so we spent three and bisected hours in the aphotic and the algid with no toilet accessories or annihilation at all absolutely until they eventually managed to get a alternation alongside us to abandon us.
Julian Speroni was drafted into the Crystal Palace aggregation at the aftermost minute afterwards Wayne Hennessey was afflicted in the warm-up
West Brom babysitter Ben Foster had an awkward moment aback he dawdled on a back-pass, and seemed to cruise Wilfried Zaha
Zaha appealed to adjudicator Michael Oliver and was assertive he should accept had a penalty, but annihilation was given
'Instead of actuality in Birmingham at division to bristles we accustomed at 9.30. Again the auberge we appointed was the area for an Indian bells so there was affluence of babble until two in the morning.
'So basically, annihilation that could go amiss did go wrong. The players could absolutely calmly accept been absolved for cerebration this was not activity to be our bold but that wasn't the case.'
It was adamantine to abolish a smile and in fairness, Hodgson chuckled at its end, his affection coloured by a fifth point in bristles amateur that aback has Palace in ability of safety. Having absent their aboriginal seven Premier League amateur afterwards scoring to arise bedevilled they are now three credibility abaft West Brom in 17th and aloft West Ham and Swansea.
Pardew, additionally up adjoin his aloft club, was encouraged in his aboriginal bold in charge, although he recognised the allegation to about-face draws into wins. This was a third point in three amateur to leave West Brom bobbing about in danger.
Christian Benteke had a brace of acceptable affairs to assuredly account his aboriginal ambition of the season, actuality actuality denied by Foster
Benteke again had the clearest adventitious of the aboriginal bisected with a abutting ambit header, but it was buried beeline at Foster
Speroni was alleged into activity aboriginal in the additional half, extenuative able-bodied afterwards Jay Rodriguez bankrupt apple-pie through the defence
The 56-year-old played Salamon Rondon, Hal Robson-Kanu, and Jay Rodriguez in bike – the aboriginal time all three strikers had started calm – and it was his aggregation who started and accomplished in the ascendancy. Pardew expects that already Matt Phillips, Chris Brunt, and Nacer Chadli are aback from abrasion he can apparatus his account further.
'We approved to absolutely alarm them at the start, beating them out their stride,' he said.
'With a little bit added affection or a breach we ability accept won it. I'm still missing bristles or six you could altercate could be starters. If that is the affection we'll be fine. The appliance in aboriginal two canicule and this bold I couldn't fault. It's aloof a abashment we couldn't accelerate admirers home with a win.'
Palace had been dealt a bifold draft afore comedy alike commenced. Scott Dann went bottomward with a virus and again Wayne Hennessey suffered a aback access in the warm-up.
Pardew was affected to accomplish his aboriginal West Brom sub in the aboriginal half, with Gareth Barry taken off for Claudio Yacob with a knock
Hal Robson-Kanu is challenged by Jeffrey Schlupp in the aboriginal stages of the Saturday afternoon affray in the Midlands
Salomon Rondon takes a attempt on ambition for West Brom during a aggressive and tightly-fought aperture to the match
It meant Hodgson had to position Martin Kelly at centre aback and could name alone bristles substitutes on his bench, with no back goalkeeper.
Hodgson could at atomic abide the 4-4-2 arrangement trialled at Brighton on Tuesday night, with Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke reprising the little-and-large arresting duo he has tended to favour in his career.
And afterwards a able aperture from the hosts Zaha about won his ancillary a amends aback block bottomward Allan Nyom's backpass.
Ben Foster approved to be able and distill out, but Zaha was assimilate him too quickly, dispatch a abatement and ambience himself to shoot at goal. But Foster accomplished out a glove, bringing bottomward Zaha and at minimum risking an aberrant free-kick. Palace appealed for both but got neither.
West Brom had affairs through Rodriguez and Robson-Kanu but Palace went abutting aback Benteke wriggled through a brace of players and attempt from abutting range. Foster came out acutely to save.
Crystal Palace's Andros Townsend in action, actuality denied by the bottom of Rodriguez as he attempted a dribble
Sam Field, the adolescent West Brom midfielder adequate an continued run in the side, holds off Palace's James McArthur
There were beneath and beneath affairs in the additional half, with continued assurance up appear Rondon acceptable an accretion feature
At the consistent bend Benteke got his attack all amiss and succeeded alone in administering it acclaim into the accoutrements of Foster.
The additional aeon was a case of West Brom animadversion at Palace's makeshift aperture but award it complete of harder being than expected.
There were endless occasions aback Pardew's ancillary appeared set to agitation Julian Speroni alone for a amateur in a Palace shirt to access backward and block.
The clearest aperture came through Rodriguez. He sped assimilate Jake Livermore's pass, access accomplished Mamadou Sakho but was denied by Speroni's chest-first charge.
Rondon reacts afterwards missing a backward adventitious to acquire all three credibility and activate the Pardew era with a win for West Brom
The aboriginal bold for West Brom in December brought out some blithe arch abrasion amid the Baggies supporters
