West Brom 2 Middlesbrough 3 - Report and pictures

After going behind to a George Saville opener early on, goals from Jay Rodriguez and Dwight Gayle put the Baggies in control with just 15 minutes to go.

It looked like being both a sweet and important victory for Darren Moore's men.

But then substitute Assombalonga struck twice in the space of eight minutes to break Albion hearts and draw Boro level on points with them in the table.

Throughout the game, the home fans had aimed chants at former head coach Pulis, questioning the style of his football.

But after the final whistle blew, he ran onto the pitch to clap the travelling Boro fans, receiving boos from some of the home supporters left in the ground.

Boro have now done the double over Albion this season, as Pulis's impressive record against his former clubs continues.

He played the same back five that bullied the Baggies in the reverse fixture back in August, when Boro won 1-0 thanks to an injury time Daniel Ayala goal.

This time, they couldn't keep out Albion's lethal front two, who are now both on 15 goals for the season.

But the Baggies made too many mistakes at the back, gifting Boro at least two of their goals through mistakes from Gareth Barry and Chris Brunt - who will desperately want to forget his 400th appearance for the club.

Despite Jake Livermore's return from suspension, Chris Brunt's return from injury, and the deadline day business, Moore kept faith in youngsters Sam Field and Rekeem Harper following a series of impressive performances in midfield.

As if to epitomise the culture change at The Hawthorns, Albion passed the ball around for the first three minutes of the game, gradually working their way up the pitch before Gareth Barry forced Darren Randolph into a full-stretch save low down to his left.

The hosts were seeing the majority of the ball, but two dangerous crosses from Hal Robson-Kanu were easily cleared by Boro's backline beasts, proving the Baggies were going to have to be cuter.

The home fans were singing "Tony Pulis, he'll send you to sleep", and delighting in shouting 'Hoof' every time a red-shirted defender cleared the ball.

But Boro had chances on the counter-attack. Mo Besic wasted a three on two after Field dived in and missed him, and then they took the lead, but it was a goal of Albion's own making.

When Sam Johnstone fired the ball out to Barry, the veteran midfielder seemed to take his eye of it, allowing George Saville to pounce on a rare mistake.

Saville drove forward before rifling a shot inside the far post, stunning The Hawthorns into silence.

The goal rattled Albion, who started to misplace passes while Boro snapped at heels, sensing blood.

Several challenges were straying beyond the parameters of what's legal but it took until the 35th minute for Tim Robinson to book anybody, showing Saville yellow after the goalscorer caught Barry late.

Tempers were rising and Holgate was booked not long after for scything down Jordan Hugill.

The Baggies were still seeing plenty of the ball, but Boro were limiting them to crosses.

The majority of them were getting nowhere, but then three minutes before the break, one finally wasn't cleared properly.

It bounced kindly to Rekeem Harper in the box, and the whole crowd urged him to shoot, arguably putting him off.

The youngster scuffed his shot, but it fell to Rodriguez at the far post, who bundled in his 15th of the season to send The Hawthorns into delirium fuelled on relief.

Moments later, Hugill went theatrically down in the box up the other end, but even though it was a dive, he escaped punishment.

That prompted both ends behind the goal to boom out 'Tony Pulis, your football is s**t' before an even louder chorus of 'There's only one Big Dave.'

It took less than a minute for Boro to pick up another booking after the restart, this time Lewis Wing catching Craig Dawson.

And the Baggies started the second half well, with Harper forcing Randolph into a save before shooting just wide moments later.

The game was beginning to open up a bit, which suited Moore's men, but their second goal shortly after the hour mark came from another cross into the box.

This time, Rodriguez climbed high to get something on Holgate's delivery, and it bounced to Gayle, who lashed a left-footed shot goalwards.

It took a deflection, diverting it over Randolph's dive, but none of the home fans cared.

Going behind drew Boro out of their shell. They hit the bar shortly afterwards, not that it would have stood, because Aden Flint was penalised for climbing.

But there was nothing wrong with Britt Assombalonga's equaliser 15 minutes from time.

The striker had been on the pitch just ten minutes when a tired Albion side gave him too much space in the box.

But he still burst past Dawson with ease before firing a low shot past Johnstone into the far corner.

Moore had just sent Jacob Murphy on for his debut, and then he added Jake Livermore to the fold.

Chris Brunt then came on for his 400th appearance for the Baggies, but what should have been a day for celebration quickly turned to a nightmare.

His first contribution was to miskick a clearance, allowing Assombalonga to pounce on the loose ball and fire in his second and Boro's third just eight minutes after his equaliser.

Dawson forced Randolph into a save in injury time but the Baggies couldn't find an equaliser.

And after the final whistle, an obviously delighted Pulis ran onto the pitch to clap the travelling fans, earning himself boos from the home fans.

He ended up having the last laugh.

Key moments

03 Barry forces Randolph into a full-stretch save low down to his right.

17 GOAL BORO - Saville pounces on a Barry miscontrol before rifling a shot into the far corner.

42 GOAL ALBION - Rodriguez bundles home Harper's scuffed shot.

44 Hugill dives in the penalty area but escapes a booking.

50 Harper forces Randolph to beat away a shot.

59 Ahmed Hegazi lets fly from 30 yards out, but it's straight down Randolph's throat.

63 GOAL ALBION - Gayle's left-footed shot is deflected over Randolph's dive and into the net.

75 GOAL BORO - Assombalonga bursts past Dawson and fires in an equaliser

83 GOAL BORO - Assombalonga pounces on a Brunt mistake before rifling into the top corner.

90+5 Pulis runs onto the pitch to clap the travelling fans.

Albion man of the match

Rekeem Harper - Another mature performance from the teenager in a difficult game.

Position in the table

4th, with 50 points from 29 games.

Teams

Albion (4-3-3): Johnstone; Holgate, Dawson, Hegazi, Gibbs; Harper, Barry (c) (Livermore 78), Field (Brunt 83); Gayle, Rodriguez, Robson-Kanu (Murphy 74).

Unused subs: Bond, Bartley, Adarabioyo, Montero.

Middlesbrough (5-4-1): Randolph; Shotton, Fry, Ayala, Flint, Friend; Wing, Mikel (Van La Parra 75), Besic (Howson 54), Saville (Assombalonga 65); Hugill.

Unused subs: Konstantopoulos, Clayton, McNair, Downing, Assombalonga, Van La Parra.

Referee: Tim Robinson

Attendance: 24,863 (1,749 away)