West Brom held West Ham to a forgettable 0-0 draw as the Hammers continued to ease the pressure on boss Slaven Bilic.
The visitors claimed their second clean sheet in a week after a 2-0 win over Huddersfield and took their first away point in the Premier League this season.
Baggies midfielder Gareth Barry equalled Ryan Giggs’ Premier League appearance record as he featured in his 632nd game but that was the only memorable moment from a match which left a lot to be desired.
(PA Graphics)
What they said
West Brom boss Tony Pulis on Gareth Barry: “Him coming into the football club, you just recognise and realise the dedication and his application towards his profession is just absolutely fantastic. He’s like Fletch (Darren Fletcher) in lots of ways. They’re bastions of this sport, this wonderful sport that we play in and work in. The young players at our football club, I hope they realise how lucky they are to see someone of that quality and that ilk.” West Ham boss Slaven Bilic: “It wasn’t a great game of football. To get more – the three points we were looking for – the quality in the last third was missing. I have no complaints, it’s been a good week for us. To have another clean sheet, to get a point away from home, you can’t be too negative about it.”
Tweet of the match
Star man – Jonny Evans
Jonny Evans was in fine form
In his first home appearance since the transfer window closed and Albion rejected bids from Manchester City and Leicester, Evans reminded everyone of his quality. Quietly assured in a game where defences were always going to be on top he worked well with Ahmed Hegazi when under pressure. Andy Carroll was his usual handful but when he went off Albion had it easier to claim a hard-earned clean sheet.
Moment of the match
Pedro Obiang almost won the game with a moment on brilliance – which was all too rare in a forgettable game. It came after 29 minutes when the midfielder spotted Ben Foster off his line and launched a looping effort which clattered the top of the Baggies’ bar. It pierced the gloom of a game which many would have expected to have ended 0-0 anyway.
Stat of the match
Impossible to pick out anything but Gareth Barry’s landmark, with the 36-year-old also making his 600th Premier League start – his fourth for West Brom after joining from Everton in the summer. Barry is now on course to break the record and set a new marker when the Baggies go to Arsenal on September 25.
Player ratings
West Brom: Ben Foster 6, Craig Dawson 6, Jonny Evans 7, Ahmed Hegazi 7, Kieran Gibbs 6, Gareth Barry 6, Grzegorz Krychowiak 6, James Morrison 6, Matt Phillips 6, Chris Brunt 6, Jay Rodriguez 6. Subs: Hal Robson-Kanu (for Brunt) 6, James McClean (for Phillips) 6, Allan Nyom (for Gibbs) 6. West Ham: Joe Hart 6, James Collins 6, Winston Reid 6, Jose Fonte 6, Aaron Cresswell 6, Pedro Obiang 6, Cheikhou Kouyate 6, Pablo Zabaleta 6, Michail Antonio 6, Andy Carroll 6, Javier Hernandez 6. Subs: Marko Arnautovic (for Collins) 6, Andre Ayew (for Hernandez) 6, Diafra Sakho (for Carroll) 6.
Who’s up next?
West Brom v Manchester City (Carabao Cup, Wednesday)
West Ham v Bolton (Carabao Cup, Tuesday)
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