West Bromwich Albion 2 Burnley 2 - Post match analysis
Jan 26 2009 by Robert Tanner, Birmingham Post
“Yet they always had something to chase and something to go for, and they did that in the last ten minutes. They pushed on and got the goal.
“Goals change games and if we had scored the third there would be no way back for them. They would have thought it was too far after their efforts in the week, and we would have seen the game out.”
Mowbray’s mood was not helped when the Clarets, who had been involved in a gruelling Carling Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur in midweek, were handed a spot-kick when Robbie Blake collapsed under the weight of a soft Jonathan Greening challenge inside the area and Alexander stepped up to give the visitors the lead.
“I thought it was comical at the time,” Mowbray said. “I try not to make comments about referees and my general comment is he is paid to make decisions and whatever I say is not going to change it.”
But his mood must have been lifted when Koren smashed home an unstoppable half volley from 25-yards out to restore parity and then Kim’s deflected free kick in first-half stoppage time beat Jensen to give Albion an unlikely lead.
The Baggies were the better side in the second period but Burnley, who knocked the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Fulham out of the Carling Cup, are a strong side and they were rewarded for a spirited performance that suggests it is only going to get more difficult for Mowbray’s men in the replay.
Scorers: Alexander (pen, 25) 0-1; Koren (31) 1-1; Kim (45) 2-1; Paterson (89) 2-2.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION (4-4-2): Carson; Hoefkens; Donk (Zuiverloon, 72), Pele, Robinson, Teixeira (Brunt, 71), Kim, Koren, Greening (Valero, 40), Bednar, Simpson. Substitutes: Kiely, Cech, Dorrans, Fortune.
BURNLEY (4-5-1): Jensen; Alexander; Duff (Thompson, 66); Carlisle; Kalvenes (Rodriguez, 86); Caldwell; Elliott; Eagles (Gudjonsson, 60); McCann; Blake; Paterson. Substitutes: Penny; McDonald; Mahon; MacDonald.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral).
Attendance: 18,294.
