Right, time to wrap up our coverage after we witnessed two good goals, a solid derby win for Wolves, but more worryingly the crowd trouble that overshadowed everything that occurred on the pitch.
Thanks for joining me today. Here’s the match report from Peter Lansley who was at The Hawthorns to see it all.
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You can find our coverage of that Liverpool v Norwich game – which is about to kick off – right here. All eyes on the departing Jürgen Klopp, of course.
Here’s Gary O’Neil’s reaction to that Wolves win:
"It feels very special...we know how important it is to the fans" @Wolves boss Gary O'Neil is under no illusions about the magnitude of this famous old derby#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/PNTyXIp7dz
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) January 28, 2024
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Cunha got the Player of the Match award today and I think that’s very fair. He was the standout player in a game of fairly low quality.
Matheus Cunha’s game by numbers vs. West Brom:
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) January 28, 2024
72% pass accuracy
42 touches
18/25 passes completed
4/7 ground duels won
3/3 tackles won
2/3 long balls completed
1 goal
Player of the match. 👑 pic.twitter.com/5UW7GtBzGd
ITV have just announced that the draw for the FA Cup fifth round will now take place at half-time of the Liverpool v Norwich game, rather than before kickoff.
FT: West Brom 0-2 Wolves
The headlines will read 2-0 to Wolves after goals from Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha to book a fifth round spot, but this game will be forever remembered for the crwod trouble that prompted a half-hour delay in proceedings.
It turned into quite an odyssey waiting to restart the game, after that flare-up in the Birmingham Road corner of The Hawthorns. Let’s hope nobody was seriously hurt amid all that.
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It’s just the two added minutes, as West Brom flood forward to try and snatch a consolation.
90 mins: That’s a terrific stop from Griffiths to deny Cunha, who powered a vicious effort towards the far corner that looked for all money like it would make it 3-0.
Chirewa has exhibited one or two nice touches since coming on.
89 mins: It’s mostly Albion now as Swift turns and sweeps a nicely-hit shot straight at Sa from inside the box. They’re getting closer, but you suspect the clock will beat them.
87 mins: Erik Pieters tries an extraordinarily ambitious long shot and it doesn’t trouble the goal. Not even close.
86 mins: More good wing play from Fellows but Mowatt cannot work the shooting opportunity despite ghosting into a good amount of space in the box.
83 mins: Cunha eyes some empty acreage ahead of him and drives forward, but is eventually seen out of play by Pieters. Thomas-Asante then muscles away from Dawson and tries to square it, but finds nobody. It’s a West Brom corner.
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81 mins: Tell you what, a West Brom goal might relight the blue touch paper in the final 10 minutes here. Neither side has got going since the pause.
79 mins: There’s a slightly bizarre and eerie feeling around the stadium now, ironically. Nobody knows quite how to respond after that delay.
78 mins: We restart with West Brom kicking off in the centre circle.
Football is happening again.
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Some substitutes. Before play restarts, West Brom are going to bring on Erik Pieters, Gonzalo Pipa and Caleb Taylor. Bartley and Townsend are among those replaced.
Wolves introduce Tawanda Chirewa for Neto.
Play to restart
We’re back on, with play set to restart from the 78th minute – the point when Matheus Cunha scored the second goal. It looks like the troublesome corner has calmed down – amid a heavy steward and police presence – and the actual football can resume very soon.
The delay has lasted more than half an hour.
Right, both teams are now out on the turf and going through some warmups. No official word yet, but it looks like we’ll be restarting.
The players are gathering in the tunnel. It looks like we’ll get a decision soon.
Another email, this one from Hugh Molloy:
Watching with a 5 and 7 year old on the sofa, it’s quite right that they didn’t show the scenes. Yes, adults can “cope”, but violently angry and sneering faces, hand gestures and behaviour was happening that isn’t appropriate for what should be family viewing.
Dean Kinsella agrees:
Gotta say I approve of not showing the violence on TV. Give no oxygen to the sad deeds of these twits.
What happens if the match is abandoned?
That’s the question from reader Joe Pearson. The understanding is that the FA could decide to award the tie to Wolves, given their lead and the late stage of the match. The alternative is that it will be replayed, either just the final stages or the whole thing from scratch.
While we wait to resume (let’s hope we do), here’s the Matheus Cunha goal that put Wolves in charge of this cup tie.
Matheus Cunha is a man for the big games 🤩@Wolves#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/VL6OaKvo8t
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 28, 2024
“Still problems” and “no chance of resuming the match at the moment” says Mark Pougatch in the TV studio. Police still dealing with the issues in that corner of The Hawthorns.
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Credit to ITV’s Sam Matterface for his composure in describing those scenes for viewers. Much of the trouble wasn’t actually shown to us.
@sammatterface performing the role of a radio commentator at West Brom as for some reason @itvfootball are choosing not to show viewers the trouble that is taking place in the stands.
— Ian Ladyman (@Ian_Ladyman_DM) January 28, 2024
Reminder: We are adults. We will cope
For those who choose, there is also an off button.
🤷🏻♂️
Both sets of players have left the pitch and have headed for the dressing rooms. The clock showed about 84 minutes at last check. The trouble started around the 80-minute mark.
Police forced to intervene as #WBA players confront fans who then spill onto the pitch#WBAWOL @guardian_sport pic.twitter.com/MD8b21UApH
— Pete Lansley (@PeteLansley) January 28, 2024
Play paused due fan trouble
82 mins: Play has completely halted, players are going over to fans in the crowd and asking them to calm down. It looks like some Wolves fans celebrated the goal in the West Brom section, which caused the flare-up. The police are trying to get things under control and many players are heading down the tunnel.
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This doesn’t look good at all. Ugly stuff.
It’s kicked off #wwfc #wba pic.twitter.com/N4LyFwLbwA
— Nathan Judah (@NathanJudah) January 28, 2024
79 mins: Some disturbing scenes in one corner of the ground, with fans on the pitch as the two sets of supporters come to blows.
Not what we want to see.
GOAL! West Brom 0-2 Wolves (Cunha, 78)
There is another goal in this and it’s for Wolves! Cunha ghosts in behind and slots into the net.
The ball in behind had everyone in the West Brom defence stepping up for offside, but they got their timing wrong. Cunha snooped in and snuck his shot underneath Griffiths.
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76 mins: West Brom are knocking on the door. Swift swerves onto his right foot but cannot keep his shot down.
You sense there’s another goal in this.
74 mins: Careless play from Townsend, needlessly backheeling to cede possession and then pushing over his man to give a free-kick away.
73 mins: Fellows is having a real impact on the West Brom right, pushing Doherty back and forcing him to defend a little more.
It then all gets a bit sketchy with a tackle or two flying in and Bartley booked for basically a rugby tackle on Cunha. He and Dawson then get closely acquainted, rutting like stags.
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71 mins: Big chance for Thomas-Asante! Fellows squares it to the edge of the area but the forward is leaning back and skies his shot. Should’ve done better.
70 mins: That’s that for Bellegarde’s afternoon, as Algeria’s Rayan Ait-Nouri comes straight back from Afcon and into the thick of the FA Cup action.
69 mins: Two-touch stuff from West Brom gets them going forward again, with Kilman stretching to deny Townsend and Thomas-Asante .. but then Wolves counter once more through Neto. He’s such an outlet.
Bellegarde then looks to curl it into the far corner and it’s not far away!
67 mins: West Brom bring on Tom Fellows for Chalobah in midfield. An injection of energy, methinks.
64 mins: Furlong’s long throw continues to be West Brom’s weapon of choice from the right flank and it’s causing a fair bit of panic in the Wolves box.
The Championship side look the likelier to grab the all-important second goal in this match.
63 mins: Conor Townsend has just barged into Josa Sa in totally unnecessary fashion. No idea how he’s not been booked for that.
61 mins: Doyle is copping it from all angles now, with a few missiles coming his way from the West Brom fans as he takes a corner. Simmer down, people.
59 mins: It was nearly déjà vu for West Brom as Neto steamed through for Wolves and tried to work a shooting angle on his left foot. It’s just a corner this time, as bodies shuttle back to shut him out.
57 mins: A sustained period of possession being enjoyed by West Brom now. Can they find a way through? Dawson clatters into Thomas-Asante to break up the play.
55 mins: Ooft. That’s very late and very reckless from Wallace on Tommy Doyle. It’s only a yellow card – the first booking of the game. It could have been orange, that one.
53 mins: West Brom cry for a penalty, after Wallace’s header back across goal almost reaches Thomas-Asante and the Baggies feel that the forward has been impeded. Kilman was the defender, but a spot-kick would have been harsh.
52 mins: Wolves are an odd team. Very Jekyll and Hyde. I’ve seen them on occasions this season (against Manchester United, Spurs and Chelsea) and they’ve been terrific. But I’ve also seen them lose meekly at Sheffield United and West Ham. This has been far from vintage Wolves so far, despite the lead they have.
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49 mins: The first chance of the second half is glanced off Mario Lemina’s head, but it’s easy enough for Josh Griffiths to clasp onto.
47 mins: There’s been nothing wrong with West Brom’s endeavour and impetus. Sometimes their execution and accuracy has let them down in the final third, and another stray pass proves that once more.
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Second half: Right, let’s hope for a little more action in the next 45 minutes or so.
Roy Keane thinks West Brom have “shown enough” to get themselves back into this contest and urged Wolves to speed things up to snatch the necessary second goal. Both are salient points. The players are coming back out.
If you’re minded to look elsewhere for your fix of football today, Manchester United are currently taking on Aston Villa in a WSL clash with Nikita Parris scoring two for under-fire Marc Skinner. Follow it live with Yara El-Shaboury:
PEDRO NETOOOO 🇵🇹
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 28, 2024
A stunning solo effort from @Wolves' man gives them lift-off in the derby 🐺#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/J17lj8CYOs
HT: West Brom 0-1 Wolves
It looked to be a half of football that we’d all soon forget, with virtually no clearcut chances for either side – until that moment of Pedro Neto magic. That’s the difference at the interval after a fairly composed display from the Premier League side so far. They’ve seen off the hosts’ considerable threat and quietened the noise around The Hawthorns.
45 mins: We’ll have one minute of added time.
43 mins: West Brom have responded fairly well to going behind, but the Wolves’ press is a little more fierce now, as they shut the door on Jed Wallace when he was about to unfurl a shot from 20 yards.
41 mins: Looking back on that goal, it was criminal really from the Baggies to allow Neto onto his left foot. He had plenty to do after collecting Doherty’s pass and they let him do it.
40 mins: A cloud of old gold engulfs The Hawthorns now, presumably the result of some pyrotechnics in the Wolves away end. They enjoyed that piece of Neto brilliance.
GOAL! West Brom 0-1 Wolves (Neto, 38)
Brilliant from Neto!
It all came from a West Brom corner that was floated towards the man lurking on the edge – Paul Scholes style – but went very wrong when Doherty intercepted and counteted. He put Neto through and the Portuguese weaved onto his left foot and drilled home.
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37 mins: Dawson and Semedo inadvertently concede a corner between them – Keystone Cops stuff – and the volume cranks up a notch at The Hawthorns.
35 mins: A lovely flick from Doherty sends Bellegarde off running towards the byline and then Cunha tries to cut it back from the left, with West Brom scrambling to get back and get rid.
32 mins: Anyone else tired of the “oh football’s great without VAR” shtick? Lee Dixon on ITV is the predictable purveyor of such a sentiment. If there’s a glaring error in this game or any of the others sans-VAR, they’ll all be saying different …
31 mins: Wolves just about survive after a scramble in their own box following a long throw. Kipre was penalised for using his arms to jump, in the end.
30 mins: The referee Thomas Bramall has managed to keep the game flowing so far, but he blows for a hefty challenge on Neto. Doyle’s attempt to send it into the mixer is tepid and easily cleared.
You wouldn’t know which is the Premier League side and which is the Championship one, based on the opening half hour’s evidence.
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27 mins: Furlong is allowed to travel deep into Wolves’ territory before a lapse of concentration gifts Toti the chance to nip in and tackle. West Brom are starting to give the ball away more cheaply, which is irking the crowd.
25 mins: It’s scrappy, gnarly stuff in midfield but West Brom are showing more composure at the moment and certainly more thrust going forward.
23 mins: West Brom are committing numbers forward but they’re also being dilligent in getting them back. Wolves’ problem so far is their tempo. It’s alarmingly slow.
Swift wins a corner amid halfhearted appeals for a penalty for handball. Nope. The corner will have to do.
20 mins: Matt Doherty gets down the left and wins another corner – and gets a torrent of the Baggies’ abuse for his troubles.
The set pieces in this game so far have been … poor. Actually, poor is too kind. Dreadful.
18 mins: Now that’s a proper chance for Cunha, dropping kindly for him in the box and, although under pressure from two West Brom defenders, he should have done better than blasting it way over.
16 mins: Wolves with the corner now and it’s one of the worst you’ll ever see from Neto, going out of play on the opposite side with nobody within 20 yards of the ball.
14 mins: Another West Brom corner comes after Dawson blocks with Thomas-Asante trying to sneak in front of him at the near post.
Mowatt sends it in left-footed but Sa claims under his crossbar.
12 mins: Toti shows a tidy set of toes to wriggle down the left, but again Wolves are only probing at arms-length, as Cunha fires well wide from 25 yards or so.
11 mins: It looks already that Wolves are really lacking a centre forward, a focal point for their attack. They’ve got the attacking midfield talent, but is Neto a bit wasted as the recipient of the through-balls?
He’s dropping deeper now, trying to orchestrate something.
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8 mins: Nice combination play between Townsend and John Swift down the West Brom left, but it brings nothing more than a tame header that is gobbled up by Sa.
Even Stevens at the moment.
6 mins: The camera pans to Craig Dawson, who played almost a decade at West Brom and yet I’ve somehow failed to remember that.
4 mins: If Wolves were hoping for a moment or two of calm and some time in possession, they’re not going to get it. It’s all high-pressing, hard-running and tough-tackling at the moment.
2 mins: West Brom are straight forward on the attack through Jed Wallace, who makes a nuisance of himself and wins an early corner. It’s worked short and nicely around the box but eventually the offside flag is raised.
KICK OFF
Here we go!
The symbiosis of sports. An epic Test match is just finishing in Hyderabad as a potentially epic FA Cup derby begins at The Hawthorns. Who will take up the Tom Hartley role for West Brom or Wolves this afternoon and who will end up in a spin?
The players are about to emerge amid a wall of noise.
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What with the super early kickoff time and this, the police in the west midlands aren’t taking their chances. Less than 10 minutes now, folks.
Wolves fans will NOT be served alcohol inside or outside the Hawthorns in today's #FACup game against West Brom👀🍻
— FanHub (@FanHub) January 28, 2024
It's set to be a fiesty derby, opinions...? 💬 #wwfc #WBA pic.twitter.com/KgpypZnB8v
Don’t underestimate how big and hostile a Black Country derby can be. In this part of the world, it’s massive. And with West Brom at home plus the cup tie factor, it’s a really hard one to call. The Baggies are actually unbeaten in their previous four games against Wolves.
Carlos Corberan’s decision to rotate his goalkeeper, however, is perhaps an odd choice, with Josh Griffiths coming in for Alex Palmer.
Wolves have gone with a pretty much full-strength side. They’re without Hwang Hee-chan of course – he’s on Asian Cup duty – but Neto, Cunha et al will fancy their chances of being derby day heroes.
George Elokobi was a cult hero at Wolves and yesterday in the FA Cup certainly belonged to the former defender and his heroic Maidstone United team, who pulled off an all-time great upset by winning at Ipswich, securing a spot for the sixth-tier side in the fifth round hat.
Elokobi would surely love to draw his old side Wolves.
Assume he’s just talking about Keane, here?
Anyway, the stage is set and all that jazz.
Early start 11am @ITV for a massive FA Cup local derby. West Brom & Wolves. Roy Keane & Jolson Lescott. Noise, guaranteed. #FACup pic.twitter.com/vwWFJlrCRC
— Mark Pougatch (@markpougatch) January 28, 2024
Team news
West Brom: Griffiths, Furlong, Bartley, Kipré, Townsend, Yokuslu, Chalobah, Mowatt, Swift, Thomas-Asante, Wallace
Subs: Palmer, Heard, Pieters, Pipa, Fellows, Malcolm, Taylor, Whitwell, Hall
Wolves: Sá, Dawson, Toti, Kilman, Doherty, Bellegarde, Lemina, Doyle, Semedo, Cunha, Neto
Subs: Bentley, Aït-Nouri, S. Bueno, H. Bueno, Hodge, King, Chirewa, Fraser, Griffiths
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Preamble
Good morning, all! Well this is an early one, isn’t it? The broadcasters must have been glad Wolves beat Brentford in their third round replay (sorry Bees’ fans) to set up this tantalising Black Country derby. No doubt The Hawthorns will be loud and rowdy despite the kickoff time.
West Brom are ensconsed in the Championship playoff positions right now, albeit they’ve endured a bit of a mixed spell going into this game, while Gary O’Neil has turned Wolves into a mid-table side despite pre-season fears of a relegation dogfight after Julen Loptegui’s sacking on the eve of the campaign. Should be a good cup tie, this one. We’ll run you through the team news next and then build towards the 11.45am (GMT) start.
