Blackpool 2 West Brom 1: Chris Lepkowski's Big Match Verdict
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Paul Scharner is tackled by DJ Campbell.
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Youssouf Mulumbu scores Albion's first goal of the game.
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Pablo Ibanez brings down DJ Campbell resulting in a penalty and a red card.
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Chris Brunt shows his amazement as team-mate Pablo Ibanez is shown a red card by referee Michael Oliver.
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Charlie Adam battles for the ball with Jerome Thomas.
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Simon Cox and David Vaughan battle for the ball.
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Gabriel Tamas and DJ Campbell battle for the ball.
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Albion players rue a missed chance to equalise by Steven Reid.
AS with all parties, there’s always someone who hangs around long after everyone else has gone home.
Take Michael Oliver for instance – who was clearly still in some kind of Halloween haze and intent on inflicting his own Trick or Treat on Albion.
More Tricks, if truth be told.
The Northumberland official, who is young enough to still be knocking on old lady’s doors asking for sweets, terrorised Albion defenders at Bloomfield Road.
It was his decision to send off Pablo Ibanez for an innocuous challenge on DJ Campbell which ruined the game and also made it intriguing in a way few of us imagined.
He also awarded a spot-kick in the process, which Charlie Adam converted.
Replays of the decision were inconclusive. It looked, at worst, a penalty. But certainly not a challenge worthy of a straight dismissal.
Yet not even Oliver could be blamed for dishing out another red card in the 29th minute following a dreadful challenge by Gonzalo Jara on Luke Varney.
Not what boss Roberto Di Matteo or his Albion colleagues needed.
The Baggies were to concede another – a second-half close range effort by Varney.
The visitors continued to push and were given late hope by an 84th minute Youssouf Mulumbu goal but it wasn’t enough.
Albion’s nine men, however, deserved credit for a spirited and tremendous rally.
Some of the football they played was stunning and incisive. Eleven versus eleven probably would have given Albion a victory.
