Albion 3 West Ham 2 - verdict

Chris Brunt secured three points for Albion as his late strike won an action packed encounter with West Ham at the Hawthorns.

The Northern Ireland international grabbed a crucial breakaway goal with seven minutes to go, to earn the Baggies their first win back in the Premier League.

Brunt raced onto Paul Robinson's pass and ignored appeals for offside, before slotting home past Robert Green to clinch a 3-2 victory.

The win was no more than Albion deserved but it appeared for most of the second half that they would have to make do with a point, after the team ended an incident packed first half locked together at 2-2.

A much changed Albion side made the perfect start to the afternoon, when they raced into the lead with less then two minutes on the clock.

James Morrison headed home a cross from record signing Borja Valero, despite the desperate attempts of Green to keep the ball out.

The visitors battled back strongly to turn the scoreline around. They equalised in the 28th minute, when young midfielder Mark Noble forced home a close range effort, after David Di Michele had headed down Calum Davenport's cross.

Then the visitors went infront when Matthew Upson got his head onto a corner and Lucas Neill scored from the loose ball.

The lead lasted just two minutes, before Roman Bednar brought Albion level with a penalty. He scored from the spot after Leon Barnett was sent tumbling by Green.

Albion applied pressure for most of the second half but they struggled to force a breakthrough in the closing stages, when they raced away from a West Ham corner and gave Brunt the chance to become the match-winner.

Even then, Scott Carson had had to save well from Scott Parker in the closing moments. Albion had gained the upper hand and they were retaining possession neatly inside the West Ham half.

The breakthrough could have come when Greening produced a clever reverse pass to find Bednar in space on the edge of the West Ham area.

The big striker advanced to the edge of the area but be blasted his shot over the crossbar.

The Baggies continued to dominate possession and Morrison wasted a decent openin, when he burst down the right and tricked his way past Davenport.