by This should be the story of how Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha etched their names in Black Country folklore as they helped Wolves to their first derby at the Hawthorns since 1996 to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup .
Instead the passions of this game boiled over into ugly scenes as fans in the Halfords Lane stand clashed with each other and the game was halted for 35 minutes. West Bromwich Albion defender Kyle Bartley went over with his family, child in arms, to appeal for peace.
Related: West Brom 0-2 Wolves: FA Cup hit by crowd trouble – live reaction
It was a spectacular sight. All the players left the field as the police and stewards tried to restore law and order. As West Midlands Police – all holidays canceled for this first Black Country derby with fans in 12 years – stretched to the limit at the hot spots at the other end of the ground, the odd fan was still wandering out on the field to humiliate their other number before. led by stewards; another lone fan was sent away, one on a stretcher, another with blood pouring from his head.
These were the most worrying scenes imaginable when the draw was drawn for an intense derby that has been fought since these clubs were founding members of the Football League. They may not have played for three years, when West Brom were on their way down from the Premier Division, but that only added to the prospect of household names Steve Bull, Kevin Donovan, Rob Hindmarch, Iwan Roberts and Peter Odemwingie going down. the years. Not to mention the 11-point deficit West Brom made up against Wolves to force them to promotion in 2002; or the FA Cup pie-and-pint at Molineux in 2007 when Wolves gave up their entire South Bank before losing 3-0 and face-to-face when Albion fans left Tesco carrier bags all over the seats was given to them gracefully.
Wolves are now seven games without a win and are at the top of their game while West Brom, despite a fine record here at the Hawthorns, where they have only been beaten four times in Carlos Corberan’s 15 months in charge, are still chasing the pitch played returning to the Park. elite as they long awaited their takeover.
Neto, now with 10 goals to his name despite being out injured for three months, scored seven minutes before the break, and on the break, while Matheus Cunha also showed how lethal Wolves are on the move and effectively sealed the result, if anything it was not the. drama, 12 minutes from time.
West Brom were the better side in the first quarter of the game, repeatedly going down the left in goal for Wolves left-back Matt Doherty, and if either Brandon Thomas-Asante or Jed Wallace had scored from decent heads free, from the center of the goal, then the game’s trajectory could be very different.
When Wallace, passing Toti, allowed John Swift to calmly stand Craig Dawson down and turn back inside the six-yard area to deflect his shot behind, it was clear where Wolves were struggling. Gary O’Neil acted and Tommy Doyle dropped into what was known as left half. This resulted in Doherty further leading the side in the Premier League who, despite performing below par at this stage, began to secure silverware in the final.
There was one warning for the home side when Doherty’s goal allowed Jean-Ricner Bellegarde to free Matheus Cunha down the inside-left channel. Okay Yokuslu’s cross was cleared by Cédric Kipré for a corner.
It was from a corner for the home team that Wolves broke through to score. When Doherty intercepted Alex Mowatt’s delivery on the edge of his own box, Neto darted down the right path. Doherty took a few touches, looked quick and moved his pass perfectly. This is how Neto likes it. Throwing a few shapes with his shoulders, coming in from the flank, the Portugal forward raced past Swift and Conor Townsend before drilling a left-footed shot back inside the near post, the wrong foot of Josh Griffiths.
Corberan had chosen to stick with his ‘cup keeper’ despite Alex Palmer, his regular No.1, having kept more clean sheets than any other stopper in the Championship. West Brom were missing nine players, with Semi Ajayi and Grady Diangana still away at the Africa Cup of Nations and Daryl Dike and Adam Reach joining the injury list.
But they still held their own, doggedly, against the Wolves. Kilman had to throw his body into the path of Swift’s shot and, shortly after half-time, Albion might have had a penalty. Mowatt crossed from the left and when Wallace cleverly crossed the face of goal, Max Kilman didn’t seem to get any of the ball as he challenged the impressive Thomas-Asante to turn the ball over the line.
In fairness to Thomas Bramall, the referee erred on the side of mercy as he let the game flow, even when Wallace Doyle was sent off and cautioned. When Bartley fouled Matheus Cunha and the Wolves striker was willing to open his legs with the entire half in front of him, Dawson led the pressure, accusing his former team-mate of using his elbow. Bramall again limited himself in issuing a yellow card.
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Matheus Cunha got the ultimate revenge when he scored the goal that should have been taken out of this game and left Wolves cruising calmly into the fifth round. Kilman was intercepted to play a fairly standard ball up into the inside-right channel where the talented Brazilian striker, who scored the winning penalty in the third-round replay against Brentford, composed himself before scoring his eighth goal of the season through Griffiths’ legs.
Moments later, however, there was no sense that this would turn out to be a fairly comfortable win for the visitors in the Premier Division against their Championship neighbors in the cold Black Country afternoon.
