Huddersfield 2-1 West Brom: Baggies slip opens the door to Brentford and confirms Leeds’ promotion

This result truly was a case of sweet 16 for Leeds United: West Brom’s failure to win 16 miles from Elland Road ending their 16-year exile from the Premier League.

As the celebrations began up the M62, a sobering reality hit the midlands club. Requiring a win to keep the Championship’s automatic promotion race a three-horse affair, a seismic slip at the penultimate hurdle by Slaven Bilic’s team has removed the destiny of a top-two finish from their hands.

West Brom were a point behind Leeds and 10 ahead of Brentford at the start of this unusual season’s three-month hiatus but ceded the advantage following a sequence of just three wins in eight. 

Arsenal loanee Emile Smith Rowe secured a crucial three points for Huddersfield Town

West Brom striker Charlie Austin can’t hide his disappointment after the final whistle

Such is the goal difference advantage that Brentford now need four points against struggling duo Stoke and Barnsley to steal the runner’s-up spot and consign them to the play-offs.

Here, it was an Albion outcast who delivered a telling blow. Chris Willock did not get a single minute of action during a loan spell at the Hawthorns earlier this season, triggering another temporary switch from parent club Benfica to West Yorkshire in January.

Within four minutes the 22-year-old had put Huddersfield on the way to a victory that ended their relegation fears and although West Brom controversially levelled through a Dara O’Shea header that was clearly offside, substitute Emile Smith-Rowe calmly slotted in the winner late on.

Substitute Emile Smith-Rowe calmly slotted home the winner in the 86th minute

Willock’s early goal, ending a spell of 382 Championship minutes without one for Huddersfield, came as via hesitancy in the West Brom defence.

Juninho Bacuna’s curling delivery from a free-kick on the left evaded everyone in a packed area, the ball rebounded off unsighted goalkeeper Sam Johnstone’s knee and the 22-year-old swept in from eight yards.

Willock, elder brother of Arsenal’s Joe, caused no end of torment in the opening quarter hour by spinning infield off the Huddersfield right but it was his speed that created the chance for a 2-0 lead in the ninth minute when he went round Conor Townsend only for Lewis O’Brien to make a hash of the cross.

Dara O’Shea equalised for the visitors just before half-time at Huddersfield on Friday

However, the visitors got a foothold in the contest after the first-half water break, camping themselves in home territory.

The pressure finally told with an equaliser three minutes before the break despite several green-and-yellow shirts being offside when Matheus Pereira whipped in his free-kick – Jonas Lossl could only parry low down to his right and O’Shea nodded in.

Despite prolonged protests from Danny Cowley and the home bench, the goal stood and West Brom pressed for the lead during five minutes of injury time.

West Brom defender Dara O’Shea head home from close range in the 42nd minute

They were agonisingly close to claiming it too when Pereira’s nudge down the West Brom left was dummied by Matt Phillips to send Grady Diangana racing into the area for a low centre with which the recalled Hal Robson-Kanu could not connect.

Bilic went for the jugular after the break, sacrificing captain Jake Livermore in central midfield and Phillips for fresh attacking intent in Kamil Grosicki and Filip Krovinovic. Further forward-thinking changes followed.

But they could not deliver the telling final ball and, aside from a Pereira drive that was kicked away by Lossl just after the hour, rarely looked like turning the game on its head.

Chris Willock gave Huddersfield a dream start by opening the scoring in the fourth minute

That was down to some stout defensive work by Huddersfield, whose punch on the counter-attack sealed things four minutes from time.

Lewis O’Brien weighted his pass perfectly into the stride of Smith-Rowe and a measured side-footed finish removed any lingering fears of consecutive relegations for Town while simultaneously adding a late twist to the promotion picture. 

Huddersfield forward Willock prodded the ball into the bottom left corner from eight yards out