West Brom striker Saido Berahino scored the only goal as Sam Allardyce’s first game in charge of Premier League strugglers Sunderland ended in defeat.
The Black Cats had the pick of the chances in a goalless first-half, with Boaz Myhill’s brilliant reflex save stopping Billy Jones from hitting the net.
However, it was only 15 minutes into the second-half when opposition goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon fumbled when trying to collect a Chris Brunt cross after pressure from Berahino, who poked home a tap-in for the winner.
Costel Pantilimon needs to impose himself more
At 6ft 8in tall the Sunderland keeper should be commanding his area, especially in situations where the ball is in the air. His lack of aerial dominance was evident though when the Romanian custodian came out second-best after minimal pressure by Berhaino lead to him fumbling a cross, gifting the striker the winning goal.
In a game where little chances were created, it is incidents like these that hurt even more as it was a save that should have been easily collected. The goal gave West Brom their first maximum points in three games, while Sunderland continued their winless start to the season.
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