West Brom conducted a late, late show at The Hawthorns as they scored three times in the final 11 minutes to see off lowly Peterborough and reignite their promotion charge.
Cedric Kipre, Karlan Grant and Grady Diangana all found the net in the closing stages after an otherwise defiant defensive display by Posh.
Albion manager Valerien Ismael handed January signing Daryl Dike a first start and he was presented with a host of opportunities before leaving the field injured in the second half.
Darnell Furlong was sent racing down the right hand side by captain Jake Livermore and his cross was glanced towards goal by Dike – but that header fell just the other side of the far post.
Albion, frustrated by Posh’s deep lines of defence, went close again a quarter of the way into the game when Livermore’s drilled shot from the edge of the area into a packed penalty area found its way to Dike again. The USA international had perhaps more time than he realised, because he forced the ball hurriedly towards goal and Steven Benda in the visiting goal claimed the ball comfortably.
Chance number three came only moments later when Dike powerfully nodded over another inviting delivery from the right, this time from the boot of centre-half Kipre. The 21-year-old forward met another Kipre cross within a minute of the restart, but it was a similar result.
Ismael sent for Diangana, who breathed a little life into the hosts’ play in the final third. He fired straight at keeper Benda after neat build up play involving Matt Phillips.
The home crowd became increasingly restless as the game wore on, due in no small part to the excellent job Peterborough were doing in frustrating, breaking up play and defending to the hilt.
Albion did, though, get their breakthrough in the 79th minute. A dangerous corner from the right wasn’t dealt with and Furlong latched onto the loose ball before firing it at goal. It cannoned off team-mate Kipre and found its way into the corner of the net.
That opened up the game a little for the closing stages with Darren Ferguson’s men now in need of an equaliser if they had any desire to snatch a result – and that played into West Brom’s hands.
Substitute Callum Robinson won the ball in central midfield and he laid on a terrific through ball for the hosts’ top scorer Grant. He raced onto it and fired low at Benda’s near post to hand Albion breathing space.
The late show was complete with Diangana’s final flourish. Again Robinson was the supplier and the winger chested the ball down and delicately placed it into the net for his second goal of the season.
