West Brom 4 Cardiff 2

Hat-trick hero Simon Cox spared Albion an FA Cup third-round replay as they claimed a nervy win against Championship Cardiff at The Hawthorns.

Cox netted once before half-time and twice after the break to book Roy Hodgson's men a place in the fourth-round draw.

But it was far from plain sailing for the Baggies, who squandered a 2-0 lead that they held after 33 minutes thanks to Peter Odemwingie's controversial opener and Cox's close-range header.

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Former Baggie Robert Earnshaw reduced the arrears for Cardiff before the interval and substitute Joe Mason made it 2-2 on 50 minutes before Cox completed his treble to confirm Albion's win.

His second goal was a stunner, flying in off the woodwork from 25 yards on 61 minutes.

And he completed the scoring in stoppage time with a tap-in from Odemwingie's cross.

Albion were denied what looked to be a blatant penalty in the fifth minute when Dekel Keinan appeared to handle a cross by James Morrison.

But their anger was eased two minutes later when they went a goal up in another moment of controversy.

Odemwingie looked well offside when he collected a Craig Dawson clearance but the flag stayed down and Odemwingie finished coolly past Tom Heaton before looking in surprise at the linesman and beginning his celebrations.

Graham Dorrans fired wide for Albion and Rudi Gestede for Cardiff before the Baggies doubled their lead on 33 minutes.

Cox won a free-kick in the inside right channel and picked himself up to ghost in and nod home Nicky Shorey's superb delivery from six yards.

But what should have been a comfortable lead was cut just three minutes later when Shorey gifted the visitors a goal.

He was caught in possession by Filip Kiss, whose low cross was turned in from a yard out by Earnshaw.

And Jones had to make a crucial tackle to rob Gestede inside the box after Ben Foster had spilled a shot.

Dorrans went close again for Albion before the break, cutting inside but shooting too close to Heaton.

Albion were agonisingly close to restoring their lead on 55 minutes when Shorey let fly with a 25-yard shot that hit the top of the crossbar.

But they did make it 3-2 six minutes later when Marc-Antoine Fortune laid on the goal with his first touch after stepping off the substitutes' bench.

His lay-off found Cox, who whacked home a 25-yard shot off the woodwork.

And they could have made sure of the win when Dorrans burst through the heart of the Cardiff defence and tried to feed Fortune outside him but over-hit the pass, allowing Heaton to claim it.

They had an even better chance with 10 minutes to go when Somen Tchoyi's clever footwork created a glorious chance for James Morrison, who somehow blasted wide from a couple of yards out.

And in the closing stages both Fortune and Odemwingie fired over from promising positions.

But Cox claimed the matchball in stoppage time, netting from a yard after Odemwingie had reached the byline and crossed.