West Brom 2-0 Brighton: Spirited Display Relieves Pressure on Relegation-Threatened Baggies

West Brom secured a vital win on Saturday thanks to a hard-fought 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion, with goals from Jonny Evans and Craig Dawson proving too much for Chris Hughton's goal-shy Seagulls.

It took just three minutes for West Brom to take the lead, with Evans putting the hosts in front with a powerful header. 

Matt Phillips fizzed a corner into the box, with Jay Rodriguez flicking the ball towards the back post where Evans, who gambled on the touch from the former Southampton striker, was unmarked to put the hosts in front.

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Dawson then had a fantastic opportunity to double West Brom's lead, with the Englishman finding himself unmarked in the penalty area from another corner. However, the defender got his bearings all wrong and sent his header well wide of the post.

The visitors were struggling to deal with West Brom's pressing during the first-half, often leaving the likes of José Izquierdo and Davy Pröpper to optimistically try their luck from distance.

Brighton came close to scoring late in the half through Pascal Groß, with West Brom's Dawson and Salomón Rondón also having efforts to increase the scoreline. However, neither side were able to show decisiveness in front of goal and the first half came to a close.

Bruno Saltor stung the palms of Ben Foster early in the second half with a powerful drive from distance, with Brighton desperately looking for an avenue back into the game.

However, the Seagulls soon found themselves 2-0 down when Dawson, who was proving to be a goal threat throughout the first half, rose highest from a corner to double West Brom's lead.

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Anthony Knockaert wasted an outstanding opportunity to pull Brighton back into the game, with Salomón Rondón equally as wasteful for the hosts just a few minutes later and throughout the second-half.

West Brom were able to see out the rest of the game, remaining largely untroubled from infrequent Brighton attacks. However, the Baggies did see their two goalscorers forced off the pitch with suspected injuries, something that left home fans with a sour taste despite climbing away from the foot of the table.