West Brom vs Stoke match report: Brown Ideye seals narrow win as Tony Pulis continues to haunt former club

West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1

(Getty Images)

In public, Tony Pulis speaks only with respect and affection for Stoke City, but it is hard to imagine that he does not derive a particular private pleasure from beating them.

Moved on two summers ago, deemed to have reached the limit of his useful life there despite keeping Stoke in the Premier League for five straight seasons, he has a 100 per cent record against them since.

This win matched the scoreline at Selhurst Park in January last year when it was Pulis’s Crystal Palace side denting Stoke’s progress. It could have been by more, indeed would have been but for the goalkeeper Pulis signed for Stoke for £3.25m in 2010 and who stands to net them a handsome profit next summer.

Asmir Begovic, reportedly earmarked by Manchester United as a replacement should David de Gea leave for Real Madrid, pulled off saves from Saido Berahino (twice), Brown Ideye and James Morrison to keep the margin of defeat to just a single goal.

Albion had what looked like a sound claim for a penalty turned down, too, while Begovic was spared embarrassment by an offside flag when he allowed goalscorer Ideye to roll the ball into the net after failing to gather a harmless through ball.

“It is not about beating Stoke,” Pulis said. “I had a wonderful 10 years at Stoke and left them in a sound position, what we achieved there was wonderful. The important thing today was winning three points for West Bromwich Albion.”

Ideye scored his fifth goal since the arrival of Tony Pulis (Getty Images)

The goal that secured Albion’s fourth League win under Pulis came after 19 minutes when Ideye beat Begovic with a diving header from a Craig Gardner cross. Ideye limped off towards the end and will be assessed on Monday, as will England goalkeeper Ben Foster, who suffered a knee injury early in the second half.

West Bromwich: (4-4-2) Foster (Myhill, 55); Dawson, McAuley, Lescott, Brunt; Gardner, Fletcher, Morrison, Sessegnon; Ideye (Ollson, 90), Berahino (Baird, 95).

Stoke City: (4-2-3-1) Begovic; Bardsley, Shawcross, Wilson, Pieters (Cameron, 45); Nzonzi, Whelan; Walters (Diouf, 67) Adam, Moses (Arnautovic, 57); Crouch.

Referee: Michael Oliver.

Man of the match: Morrison (West Bromwich)

Match rating: 6/10