West Brom 2 Stoke City 1 - Report and pictures

The striker netted two markedly different, but equally impressive, goals either side of half-time to put the Baggies in control.

Benik Afobe then missed a penalty for the Potters, who themselves missed an opportunity to climb above Albion in the table.

Potters left-back Erik Pieters did lash in a brilliant consolation deep into injury time, but the close scoreline flattered Stoke, who were outplayed by Darren Moore's men.

It was Albion's fourth victory in a row at home, and while it may have lacked the fireworks of the 7-1 over QPR, it was arguably a more reassuring victory.

While the Baggies were sometimes too casual at the back in possession, they looked stronger both in the air and off the ball.

On the ball, they cut through Stoke's weak centre at ease, with Jake Livermore in commanding mood.

Craig Dawson replaced Tosin Adarabioyo at the back as Moore handed him his first league start of the season, but apart from that, Albion's head coach kept faith in the team that lost to Middlesbrough.

Former Baggies James McClean and Saido Berahino both started for Stoke, but it was the striker who received the louder boos when his name was read out.

But the winger didn't escape the treatment, and three minutes into the half Ahmed Hegazi was cheered when he chopped down McClean.

Referee Simon Hooper played advantage, allowing Mame Diouf to flash a dangerous ball across the six yard box.

Up the other end, the home fans wanted a penalty when Gayle went down after Cuco Martina put an arm on his shoulder but there were few appeals from the players and Hooper said no.

It was a raucous atmosphere inside a packed-out Hawthorns, and the home fans were nearly celebrating a goal 10 minutes in when Harvey Barnes shot a foot wide of the far post after neat work up the right from Matt Phillips.

Albion were starting to ramp up the pressure and then 16 minutes in Gayle scored a goal of supreme poise to give them the lead.

The striker found himself in a crowd on the byline, but he shifted the ball one way cleverly to beat a man before moving it inside to the advancing Kieran Gibbs.

Albion's wing-back drove forward with purpose towards the box before laying it back to Gayle, who had continued his run.

The striker's first touch was sublime, taking it on the pirouette to spin away from Ryan Shawcross but then he had the presence of mind to round Jack Butland and tuck it home, leaving bodies in purple strewn on the floor.

Albion were in the ascendancy, and zipping the ball through midfield with purpose.

Erik Pieters was booked for hauling down Barnes on the halfway line before the impressively industrious Jake Livermore nearly set up another chance by running 40 yards to close down a Butland clearance.

The hosts were firing on all cylinders, and they should have doubled their lead when Ahmed Hegazi grazed the post with a header from a Matt Phillips cross eight yards out.

Chris Brunt stung Butland's palms from the edge of the box soon after, but at the other end, Albion were guilty of being their own worst enemies.

Firstly, Peter Etebo cut out a Kyle Bartley ball into midfield on the chest and drove forward at goal but his shot was too tame to trouble Sam Johnstone.

A minute later though, Johnstone was breathing a huge sigh of relief when McClean charged down his clearance and the whole stadium watched in agony as the ball bounced into the ground and onto the roof of the net.

Albion's insistence on playing out from the back was getting them in trouble, and they were nearly punished ten minutes before the break when Johnstone sliced a ball into midfield that Stoke swarmed on.

The Baggies had another chance to double their lead just before half-time when Livermore played an inch-perfect ball in behind for Barnes to run onto after Dawson had initially brought down a goalkick on his chest, but Butland spread himself well and got a boot to the shot.

Kyle Bartley bundled the ball into the net from the resulting corner but the cross hit his hand and the goal was correctly chalked off, although the yellow card Albion's defender received was harsh.

After the break, the Baggies were still eager to play out from the back, and they set up a good chance for Rodriguez after Barnes had taken Hegazi's ball forward on the half turn and ran at the Stoke back-line.

But Rodriguez took his shot first time and it went tamely into Butland's arms.

Berahino was dragged off in the 53rd minute to the delight of the home fans, as Gary Rowett sent on Ryan Woods and changed his system.

But just before the hour mark, the Baggies doubled their lead thanks to man of the match Jake Livermore and Gayle.

When the central midfielder had the ball on the halfway line he looked up and curled an inch-perfect ball over the top for Gayle to run onto.

The striker killed it dead with his left foot before powering it past Butland at his near post with his right.

Rowett sent on former Wolves striker Benif Afobe to try and rescue something from the game, and the Potters did enjoy a brief spell of pressure.

Hegazi may have looked shaky in possession, but he denied Etebo with a great covering tackle in the 67th minute before heading clear two dangerous deliveries under pressure from Shawcross.

But nobody got near Shawcross with 20 minutes to go when his downwards header bounced up and towards the back post.

Livermore flung out an arm to elbow the ball off the line and referee Simon Hooper correctly pointed to the spot.

Stoke had been given a great chance to get back into the game, but substitute and former Wolves striker Benik Afobe clipped the bar with his spot-kick to leave Albion's two-goal lead intact.

That took the sting out of the Potters who, in truth, and looked toothless in attack all day, and they resorted to slinging crosses into the box that Albion dealt with until Pieters popped up deep into injury time.

The left back lashed an unstoppable effort from 25 yards into Johnstone's top corner to set up a grandstand finish but Hooper blew his whistle shortly after.

The Baggies have now won five of their last six games in all competitions since switching to a new wing-back system with the only blemish coming away at Middlesbrough.

Moore's cultural revolution is starting to bear fruit, and the noise ringing around a packed Hawthorns at full-time suggested the locals are enjoying what they're seeing.

Key moments

16 GOAL ALBION - Gayle and Gibbs combine as the striker opens the scoring with a goal of supreme quality

45 Bartley bundles the ball into the net from a corner but it's ruled out for handball.

59 GOAL ALBION - Gayle grabs his second after collecting a ball over the top from Livermore.

71 PENALTY MISS! Afobe hits the bar from a spot after Livermore is penalised for handling the ball off the line.

90+3 GOAL STOKE - Pieters lashes a shot into the top corner from 25 yards.

Man of the match

Dwight Gayle - Scored two completely different goals to give Albion a big victory.

Position in the table

Seventh, with 10 points from six games.

Teams

Albion (3-4-1-2): Johnstone; Dawson, Hegazi, Bartley; Phillips, Brunt (c), Livermore, Gibbs; Barnes (Barry 87); Rodriguez, Gayle (Robson-Kanu 72).

Unused subs: Myhill, Adarabioyo, Field, Leko, Burke.

Stoke (4-4-1-1): Butland; Martina, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters; Diouf (Afobe 64), Allen, Etebo (Bojan 81), McClean; Berahino (Woods 54); Crouch.

Unused subs: Federici, Williams, Edwards, Fletcher.

Referee: Simon Hooper

Attendance: 25,183 (2,714 away)