Hodgson refuses to gloat on return

If Carlsberg did Sunday afternoons for West Brom fans, it would probably pan out something like this one.

As memorable events go for your average Baggies follower, this was right up there with the best.If a first victory at Anfield for 45 years wasn’t enough, the fact that it was sealed at about exactly the same moment as their bitter Black Country rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers parted company with the Premier League topped off a particularly special day. In local vernacular, the term, apparently, is ‘bostin’.

A sun-drenched Anfield hardly provided the kind of backdrop where revenge was served-up cold, but having been shown the door with indecent haste after just six months in charge, the shortest reign in Liverpool’s history, Roy Hodgson must have afforded himself more than a modicum of satisfaction as he reflected on a victory that puts Albion back in the top half, just a point behind his former employers.

“The major satisfaction is winning at Anfield, there’s no extra satisfaction because of what happened to me here,” the 64-year-old said after a third win in four games for his side, one which was accompanied by a generous helping of good fortune, a fact alluded to by the former Liverpool manager.

Not for the first time at home this season, Liverpool were left to rue failing to take a series of chances. Peter Odemwingie showed them how it should be done with 15 minutes left, Youssouf Mulumbu intercepting a tame attempted clearance from Glen Johnson to release the Nigerian, who sped into the box to wrong-foot an exposed Pepe Reina from 12 yards. In the process, Odemwingie became the first Albion player to score 25 Premier League goals.

The Albion woodwork was still reverberating at the other end after Jordan Henderson’s shot had crashed down off the underside of the bar at the culmination of a flowing four-man move, in addition to Dirk Kuyt, who should have given the hosts an early lead, striking the foot of the post at the outset of a second half that saw Chris Brunt clear a Jay Spearing effort off the line at the end of the mother of all scrambles — one of 27 fruitless goal attempts by the hosts.

Hodgson added: “It was a magnificent rearguard action, and the biggest plus was the support I received from both sets of fans, I’m pleased the Liverpool fans welcomed me.”

Denied the services of injured skipper Steven Gerrard, Kuyt should have put the hosts ahead as early as the 11th minute, wastefully firing across the face of goal.

Suarez posed a constant threat, forcing the first of several fine saves from Ben Foster as he met a Johnson cross at the near post.

Referee Neil Swarbrick was rightly un-moved as Maxi Rodriguez fell theatrically to ground as he tussled with defender Billy Jones in his attempts to win a penalty. Despite being penned in their half for long periods, West Brom weren’t without their chances. The returning Reina produced two fine saves to keep them out midway through the first-half.

However, as chance after chance was frittered away, there was a growing realisation that Albion could emerge with more than a share of the spoils, and so it became apparent as Odemwingie’s goal proved decisive.

“We’re not going to come to Anfield and win every season,” Hodgson admitted. “But I hope it won’t take us 45 years to do it again.”