Analysis of Albion 3 Derby County 1

There are big wins and there are huge wins. And then there is Albion's victory over Derby.

Even by the standards of this wonderfully undulating Championship campaign, Saturday's final whistle at The Hawthorns felt like a moment of real significance.

It was more than three points for the Baggies. It was a statement and potential a genuine shift in momentum in the race for the Premier League.

Albion began the day standing on a precipice looking down at the prospect of the first real mini-crisis of Roberto Di Matteo's reign.

And with 25 minutes remaining they were hanging over the edge, clinging on by their fingertips.

So to end the day back in the Championship's top two with hope restored was a major triumph of character in adversity for Di Matteo's team.

The triumph should not have surprised anyone who has watched the team develop throughout the course of a fascinating season.

Because regardless of any other shortcomings Albion might possess, they have rarely been found wanting for fighting spirit. This time the problems felt a little different.

Back-to-back defeats, some careless defending and signs of mental and physical fatigue meant the latest difficulties to hit Di Matteo and Co seemed serious.

For an hour on Saturday things only got worse, as they ran into a resilient Derby side, failed to break the Rams down and then shot themselves in the foot again with another careless piece of defending handing the visitors a lead.

Concerns were growing and nerves around The Hawthorns were becoming frayed. Yet once more Albion reached into their reserves of character and found a way to turn around the match, and possibly this critical phase of a crucial season in their recent history.

It was rarely pretty, and not even always effective. But eventually the Baggies wore down the Rams and snatched a victory that sent players and supporters alike home with restored feelings of hope and a renewed sense of purpose.

The players kept their nerve and retained their patience as they chiselled their way methodically through the visitors' resistance.

That determination was epitomised by Chris Brunt, who kept on believing in spite of a mixed afternoon in which his own fortunes were mixed.

The winger's persistence was rewarded eventually with two goals that could prove his most crucial since his fired the club to their last promotion with a strike against Southampton two seasons ago.

And credit, too, to the head coach, whose bold double-substitution with more than half an hour remaining on the clock provided his side with an injection of fresh ideas and extra energy.

Di Matteo's introduction of James Morrison and Simon Cox might not have won Albion the game, but it certainly helped.

By the time the duo combined to give Albion their third goal with nine minutes remaining, the vital turnaround in fortunes had already taken place.

But both had already played their part in galvanising the side for one final push that ultimately brought them three potentially priceless points. Such an effort looked unlikely throughout a first half in which the nerves that had grown in the previous six days had shown few signs of easing.

Fresh from a tame Championship fade-out at Bristol City and a draining FA Cup reverse at Reading's hand, they Baggies once more laboured before half-time.

Di Matteo's men just edged the first half, but it was an instantly forgettable 45 minutes in which neither team were close to stamping their mark on proceedings. A series of penalty claims at each end was all that made the half worthy of note.

Although Albion's appeals numbered more, it was the Rams who looked to have the strongest case as early as the second minute when Stephen Pearson got goal-side of stand-in right-back Gabriel Tamas and hit the deck after tangling with the Romanian.

The ground held its collective breath by referee Phil Crossley was unmoved. At the other end pantomime villain Robbie Savage survived a Baggies appeal when Luke Moore's shot struck the Rams midfielder's arm as he lay on the ground.

And in the closing moments of the half the returning Jerome Thomas went down under Paul Green's challenge. But both claims lacked real conviction from the home side, much like most of their play once they got within sight of the visitors' goal.

An early shot wide by Brunt for Albion and a near-miss by Derby's Michael Tonge from a Pearson cross was as close as the half came to a goal.

But Albion were staring down the barrel within four minutes of the restart as Savage chipped a ball into the box, Scott Carson and three defenders waiting for a colleague to clear it Chris Porter accepted the Baggies' invitation to side-foot home.

For 18 minutes the hosts laboured in search of an equaliser and the crowd grew increasingly restless, relations with Jonas Olsson becoming especially strained. Brunt fired and headed wide with two decent chances, but he was finally rewarded on 67 minutes when he took a harder chance.

Cox's through-ball found the winger and he side-stepped two hesitant defenders and planted a shot into the bottom corner.

Ten minutes later the turnaround was complete as a Graham Dorrans corner dropped in the Derby goalmouth and Brunt could hardly miss from close range.

While spectators tried to digest the night-and-day shift in emotions, Morrison and Cox linked up to put the result beyond doubt.

It was the game's shining beacon of quality as Morrison lifted an perfect pass over two defenders and Cox sprang the Derby defensive line, raced clear and kept his composure to finish low for his ninth goal of the season.

The final seven minutes were the only ones of the afternoon that Baggies fans could properly enjoy. But the next week will undoubtedly be one of smiles for the Albion faithful, for whom Nottingham Forest's defeat at Leicester capped a fine day.

Supporters and players alike will be braced for several more plot twists before this epic race has run its course.

But, for now at least, the force is back with the Baggies.

By Steve Madeley