Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-3 West Bromwich Albion: Matheus Pereira’s two penalties lift the fighters

The Black Country’s first derby in just under nine years did not disappoint when West Brom beat the Wolves 3-2 to give Sam Allardyce his first win as their coach.

The liveliness was on display early on when Willy Boly dropped Callum Robinson in just the eighth minute to give away a penalty, which was easily converted by Matheus Pereira.

Boly then made peace with a heel assist for the Wolves draw and 18-year-old Fabio Silva’s first goal at Molineux, before scoring just five minutes later.

However, the Baggies shot out after the halftime break with Semi Ajayi making it 2-2 thanks to his looped header in the 52nd minute.

Wolves’ defenders could be forgiven for experiencing a sense of déjà vu as Robinson once again won a penalty that Pereira scored, this time to lead 3-2.

West Brom was able to hold out thanks to a valiant defense, which made sure to narrow the gap to just three safety points.

Then they visit West Ham on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the Wolves’ next outing is an FA Cup fourth-round tie against the NL’s north side Chorley on Friday.

Since his talisman Jiménez fractured his skull in late November, for a Wolves team that generally lacks consistent goals anyway, goals have been even harder to come by. This need for goals has put even more pressure on club record signing Fabio Silva, who still needs time to adjust despite his goal today, as well as having both Morgan Gibbs-White and Patrick Cutrone removed from their respective loans. . Romanian teenager Theodor Corbeanu is another option: an academy graduate who has been an understudy in recent weeks.

However, it now seems increasingly likely that the Wolves will have to dig into their pockets before the end of the month to fill the void left by Jimenez, who still seems a long way from returning to action.

Matheus Pereira (West Brom) – The Brazilian playmaker had had a difficult life in the Premier League after excelling in the Championship on loan at Baggies last season. Yet today he and Robert Snodgrass gave West Brom the creativity and inventiveness they need to create a plethora of opportunities. One highlight in particular was a beautiful chip pass to Robinson, who really should have hit home with his effort from inside the box. Pereira’s two goals on penalties were the icing on the cake, and that performance surely made the West Brom hierarchy and fans even more interested in ending the current stalemate regarding their contract situation.

Wolves: Patricio 6, Saiss 5, Semedo 7, Boly 8, Coady 5, Neves 5, Dendoncker 6, Moutinho 6, Traore 7, Neto 8, Silva 7 … Subs: Gibbs-White 6, Ait-Nouri 5, Cutrone N / A

West Brom: Button 6, O’Shea 6, Gibbs 6, Bartley 8, Ajayi 8, Grosicki 6, Snodgrass 7, Livermore 5, Sawyers 5, Pereira 9, Robinson 7 … Subs: Robson-Kanu 5, Furlong N / A

8 ‘- GOOOAAAALLLL !!! A quick VAR check confirms that contact was made just inside the box and Pereira calmly converts the penalty to put a goal ahead of the Baggies.

31 ‘- WHAT A STOP FOR PATRICIO !!! Grosicki’s header drops to Robinson, who is on the verge of onside, but the Wolves goalkeeper reacts quickly to deny the Republic of Ireland international a goal.

38 ‘- GOOOAAAALLL !!! Silva scores his first goal at Molineux, placing the ball in the lower right corner from Boly’s rear heel to equalize for the Wolves.

52 ‘- GOOOAAAALLL !!! West Brom is back with an equalizer! O’Shea’s long serve finds Bartley in the box. He throws a header at Ajayi, who throws his own header into the net to make it 2-2.

55 ‘- ANOTHER PENALTY FOR WEST BROM !! And it’s Robinson who won it again! Grosicki plays a simple pass into the box, tries to turn the defender around and gets hooked in the process. There is not much contact on that, but the VAR does not reverse it.

56 ‘- GOOOOOOOOOOOOOL !!! Pereira comfortably fits his second penalty of the day and after being 2-1 down at half-time, the Baggies suddenly lead 3-2! This match has it all!