Southampton book spot in FA Cup quarters to heap further misery on crisis-struck West Brom

West Bromwich Albion 1 Southampton 2: Two days after a broken curfew, an allegedly stolen taxi and a brush with Catalan police, the Baggies were dumped out of the FA Cup by Saints

Southampton are now through to the last eight of the FA Cup (Getty)

A crisis-ridden week for West Bromwich Albion ended with further misery as Alan Pardew’s chastened side bowed out of the FA Cup at a disgruntled Hawthorns.

Two days after a broken curfew, an allegedly stolen taxi and a brush with Catalan police plunged Albion’s season-from-hell into the realms of farce, Southampton added further ignominy by advancing to the quarter-finals.

There will be no emotional cup triumph for the Baggies 50 years since they last lifted the trophy and claimed their most recent major honour.

Instead, some calamitous defending followed by some late misfortune in front of goal left a beleaguered Alan Pardew with just 11 Premier League games to save West Brom’s top-flight lives and probably his own job while Mauricio Pellegrino’s Saints can look forward to a place in the last eight.

Salomon Rondon’s brilliant goal on 58 minutes gave Pardew’s side some hope of a comeback but by then they trailed 2-0, having all but gifted goals to Wesley Hoedt on 11 minutes and Dusan Tadic on 56.


 Ahmed Hegazy attempts to block from Cedric Soares 
 (Getty)

Two of the ‘Cab Four’, who are under investigation by the club and police following the alleged theft of a taxi at a training camp in Barcelona, started the game but Jonny Evans was stripped of the captaincy while Gareth Barry was booed when he was substituted near the end.

Having overseen the trip to Spain and having won just one of his 13 league games in charge, Pardew is now fighting for his own future at a bottom-of-the-table club that this week sacked the chairman and chief executive who appointed him.

The home side fell behind on 12 minutes to the kind of goal that keeps set-piece coaches awake at night.

James Ward-Prowse delivered a corner from the right, two West Brom players were drawn to the ball at the near post and Hoedt was left in yards of space to side-foot into the bottom corner from six yards.

There were jubilant cheers from travelling fans but a stony silence from the sparsely populated Albion sections of the ground.

Albion offered a response of sort, winning a free-kick that Salomon Rondon rifled into the defensive wall and forcing a corner from which they could have equalised.

Ryan Bertrand clears Jay Rodriguez's header from off the line (Getty)

Matt Phillips’ flag-kick was returned into the goalmouth and Craig Dawson leapt highest but his difficult header looped over.

Another corner to Southampton caused chaos in the Albion ranks with Dawson forced into a crucial block on the line from a Pierre Emile-Hojberg shot to prevent a second Saints goal.

There were two chances early in the second half for a West Brom equaliser with Alex McCarthy in the Southampton goal twice coming to his side’s rescue.

First came a diving save with his fingertips to keep out a shot by Jay Rodriguez following an error by Jack Stephens.

Then, from the resulting corner, McCarthy pushed a header from Dawson over the crossbar.

There was another telling contribution from McCarthy moments later when he reacted to turn a deflected shot from Krychowiak around the post, and he was rewarded on 56 minutes when his side claimed their second goal.

West Brom pulled one back through Rondon (Getty)

It was more shambolic play from a home defence that went AWOL with Krychowiak left forlornly marking Tadic, who collected a high ball and tricked his way past the Pole before chipping a shot past Ben Foster.

Just two minutes later the lead was halved in style by Rondon, when he peeled away from his marker and met a lofted Krychowiak pass with a fabulous first-time shot with his left foot that flew past McCarthy.

And, with the home crowd sensing an improbable fightback, McCarthy excelled again with a reaction save to deny Ahmed Hegazi a scrambled equaliser with his head.

There was further misfortune for the hosts with nine minutes remaining as Hegazi’s swivelling half-volley struck the crossbar and Rondon’s follow-up was cleared off the line by Ryan Bertrand.

Yet that moment hinted at an afternoon, and perhaps a managerial tenure, that is simply destined to end in disappointment.