Kamil Grosicki scores against former club as West Brom move one point behind Leeds

It was Charlie Austin who spoke in the week about West Bromwich Albion’s final push for promotion not needing to be ‘pretty’ in any way, shape or form.

There was no need for a beauty contest, just performances that hauled them over the line. Clearly his team-mates were listening.

There were moments of ugliness here, not least in defence as Hull City were twice allowed to equalise and threatened often, but the Baggies got the job done in the end.

Kamil Grosicki curls beyond George Long to give West Brom a 3-2 lead over Hull City

Five points ahead of the relentless Brentford, five matches to play. Destiny in their own hands, the Premier League beckons, the mission almost complete.

But thankfully for Slaven Bilic and his team, they boast one player who very much cares about the aesthetics of the game. This win belonged to their Brazilian winger Matheus Pereira, as many have this season.

A hat-trick of assists, for birthday boy Austin early on, Ahmed Hegazi and Kamil Grosicki, took Pereira’s total in that department to 19 for the campaign.

These creative trebles are seldom seen. If not deserving of a matchball as is traditionally given to a hat-trick scorer, then Pereira deserved some form of souvenir. Promotion in a week or two will no doubt suffice.

Hull care little for beauty either as they struggle desperately for their Championship life. They twice equalised, through Kevin Stewart and Mallik Wilks, and created plenty of good chances, before West Brom finally escaped their clutches, the win sealed by Grady Diangana late on.

With Middlesbrough beaten by Queens Park Rangers, it’s as you were either side of the cut-off line. Hull are in a perilous position but far from condemned.

Saturday’s results had left West Brom little margin for error but if anyone was feeling apprehensive, it wasn’t apparent early on.

It took just four minutes for the Baggies to power in front, courtesy of a man thriving in recent games after Bilic elevated him from the substitutes’ bench into his starting line-up.

After a free-kick routine had initially fallen flat, Pereira pinged a cross from the right that Stewart made a half-hearted attempt to cut out. The Hull midfielder only helped it on to Austin, celebrating his 31st birthday, who controlled on his chest and prodded home.

Charlie Austin stabs in from close range to open the scoring for the Baggies on five minutes

Kevin Stewart (No 6) celebrates with his team-mates after pulling Hull level at The Hawthorns

Everyone expected Hull to roll over at this point but they reacted well, winning a succession of corners. One sparked a scramble inside the Baggies’ six-yard box before the ball was finally hacked clear.

And with Grant McCann bellowing mega-decibel instructions from his technical area, Stewart atoned with an equaliser on 24 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, it stemmed from a corner, with Sam Johnstone only able to punch weakly under pressure. The ball dropped invitingly to Stewart, charging into the box, and his drilled left-footed shot took two deflections, the second off Austin, before ricocheting in.

Ahmed Hegazi (left) restores the Baggies’ one-goal lead with a header before half time

Hull were good value for the parity at that stage but the remainder of the first-half belonged to West Brom.

The omnipresent Pereira, whose loan from Sporting Lisbon became a £9million permanent deal last month, saw a volley deflected away by Hull captain Jordy de Wijs, while Rekeem Harper fired over from a Pereira cut-back.

Facing his former club, Kamil Grosicki forced George Long into a sharp save at his near post following a neat through pass by, inevitably, Pereira.

On 37 minutes, West Brom’s lead was restored and from a most unlikely source.

Hegazi was able to wriggle away from De Wijs and sneak in front of a cluster of bodies to head home Pereira’s corner from five yards out. It was Hegazi’s first goal since November 2018 and a timely intervention in the promotion race.

Mallik Wilks heads in his second goal in as many games to draw the Tigers level on 48 minutes

They should have scored a third before half-time – Grosicki rolled a low pass across the Hull box but Pereira fired too high. Filip Krovinovic then forced Long into a parry, with Austin unable to turn home the rebound.

Harper should have done better, shooting over from just inside the box following more fine work by Grosicki. Long then blocked with his foot after Pereira shot.

And their failure to capitalise on this pressure was punished within three minutes of the restart. Josh Magennis moved the ball to Leo Da Silva Lopes and his whipped cross was met by the head of Wilks, Hull’s late match-winner against Middlesbrough on Thursday, for 2-2.

West Brom could scarcely believe their sloppiness but at least their reaction was swift.

Again it was Pereira dictating things, supplying the perfect 30-yard pass into Grosicki, who’d slipped onto Matt Pennington’s blindside and finished smartly, refusing the celebrate against the club he left in January.

Grady Diangana celebrates after dribbling past two players to net West Brom’s fourth goal

But we’d already established there was a fragility in West Brom’s defence and Wilks almost exposed it moments after the goal, losing his balance at the point of execution and firing over.

Hull’s coaching team were fuming when the already-booked Hegazi appeared to kick out at Jon Toral, who went down with an ear-piercing scream. Referee Oliver Langford saw nothing untoward, however.

And Toral was soon back on his feet to force a good save from Johnstone as Hull threatened a third equaliser. The West Brom keeper made an even better save to deny Toral a few minutes later after a slick move involving Da Silva Lopes.

It took fresh legs from the bench and some dazzling footwork to make sure for West Brom. Diangana picked up the ball near the right-hand corner of the box, drove inside past two challenges and fired low inside the near post.

West Brom ended the game with 10 men – Hegazi picking up a second booking in stoppage time for a foul on Wilks. It all added to the sense of ugliness and the feeling of relief at the end. One step closer.