Albion 3 Derby County 1

Chris Brunt scored twice as Albion came from behind to claim a huge win at home to Derby to move back into the Championship's top two.

The winger scored on 67 and 77 minutes for the Baggies to turn the game around, after Chris Porter had pounced on some poor defending to give the Rams a 49th-minute lead.

Substitute Simon Cox sealed the win for the Baggies seven minutes from time with a third goal.

The win, combined with rivals Nottingham Forest's heavy defeat at Leicester, put the Baggies back into second place.

Albion edged the first-half action, but it was a largely forgettable period.

The Baggies survived a second-minute penalty appeal when Stephen Pearson burst into the box and went down under a rugged challenge from stand-in right-back Gabriel Tamas.

Graham Dorrans saw a 12th-minute shot deflected behind for Albion, who then saw a free header by Jonas Olsson misdirected from a Brunt corner.

Robert Koren blasted high and wide moments later after a smart through-ball by Olsson.

Albion were screaming for a penalty when a scrambled shot by Luke Moore appeared to strike the prone Robbie Savage on the hand, but referee Phil Crossley dismissed the appeals.

On the stroke of half-time the visitors were almost ahead, when Pearson beat Tamas and his cross was turned just wide by Michael Tonge.

In stoppage time there were more penalty appeals from the Baggies when Jerome Thomas was challenged in the box by Paul Green, but again the calls fell on deaf ears.

The game needed a goal and it came just four minutes into the second-half, thanks to some poor Baggies defending.

Goalkeeper Scott Carson and his defenders failed to deal with a left-wing cross and it ran perfectly for Porter to side-foot home.

Brunt then headed wide badly from a Dorrans free-kick and fired off target from the edge of the box before eventually equalising.

The winger beat Jake Buxton for pace and was given too much time to side-step the defender to fire left-footed into the bottom corner.

Brunt then fired Albion ahead 10 minutes later, side-footing home when a Dorrans corner bounced across the face of goal.

Gilles Sunu later headed a good chance wide for the Rams and Brunt sent a half-volley narrow off target, before the Baggies wrapped up the win.

James Morrison flighted a delightful pass over two defenders to the feet of fellow substitute Cox, who beat the offside trap and kept his composure to finish low past goalkeeper Stephen Bywater.