West Brom 2-0 Derby: Slaven Bilic’s Championship leaders take a step closer to promotion

Wayne Rooney was involved in an angry incident with the fourth official after new Championship leaders West Brom put a dent in his bid to drive 10-man Derby into the Premier League.

Goals in either half from Grady Diangana, who went off injured, and Dara O’Shea took West Brom back to the top of the table, while Rooney had to be ushered away by Rams coach Liam Rosenior following the touchline row after he was substituted seven minutes from time. 

To make matters worse for Derby, Louie Sibley was sent off in stoppage time for a tangle with O’Shea – with Derby boss Phillip Cocu branding referee Jeremy Simpson’s display ‘a nightmare’.

West Bromwich Albion moved one step closer to promotion with a win over Derby County

The Baggies took an early lead through Grady Diangana after just 11 minutes at the Hawthorns

Dara O’Shea rose highest to double the hosts’ lead and clinch a crucial three points

Cocu said: ‘I know what he (Rooney) was annoyed about, the same as we were all annoyed about – that is how the referee was leading the game, or not leading the game. A lot of decisions were very doubtful.

‘Everybody can have a good or bad day, like us as players or managers, but sometimes you also have to take responsibility if it was a nightmare. There was no red card.’ Cocu expects Derby to appeal against it, the club’s sixth of the campaign.

Derby had their eyes on a play-off spot before this one but in the end Slaven Bilic’s Baggies carried far more menace. The win took West Brom two points clear of Leeds at the top, although Leeds can return there if they beat Stoke at Elland Road on Thursday.

Derby’s backroom staff had to restrain Wayne Rooney who was angry with the fourth official

The Rams were looking to close the gap on sixth-placed Cardiff in the race for the play-offs

Mattheus Pereira (left) and Derby’s Graeme Shinnie (right) battle for possession in the first half

Jayden Bogle looks to pass West Brom’s Kyle Bartley as the visitors tried to find an equaliser

Diangana drifted in from the right between Derby centre-backs George Evans and Craig Forsyth but he still had plenty to do when he collected Grosicki’s pass.

With his first touch, Diangana took the ball around Ben Hamer and with his second, the West Ham loanee squeezed the ball in off the post from a tight angle.

Three minutes later, West Brom could have doubled their lead when Matheus Pereira curled just wide after Jake Livermore had caught Graeme Shinnie dawdling on the ball.

Bilic’s side continued to look more threatening and Derby were relieved to be only a goal down at half-time, after two near-misses in first-half stoppage time. Hamer pushed Charlie Austin’s volley round the post via a deflection off Matt Clarke, and Semi Ajayi fired wide from an ideal position after Derby failed to clear Pereira’s corner.

Hamer made another fine stop at the start of the second half to push Pereira’s low drive wide, shortly after Diangana was forced out of the action following a clash with Derby substitute Morgan Whittaker.

As Derby failed to turn their possession into a meaningful chance, Bilic was furious with referee Jeremy Simpson for failing to punish an apparent push on Pereira inside the box, as the Brazilian tried to get on the end of Grosicki’s cross. Pereira then had nobody but himself to blame for fluffing a volley when unmarked eight yards from goal.

Yet Pereira, perhaps the best playmaker outside the top flight, would not be denied for long. O’Shea’s run to the near post was not tracked by a Rams player, allowing the young full-back to head in Pereira’s corner at the near post with 14 minutes remaining.

The frustration was too much for Rooney, who berated fourth official Ben Toner shortly after he was brought off by Cocu. Then Sibley was shown a straight red card for aiming a kick at O’Shea as the defender lay on the floor – Derby’s sixth sending-off of the campaign. 

Diangana receives medical treatment after falling under a heavy challenge on Wednesday

Ben Hamer looks dejected after Dara O’Shea doubled West Brom’s lead in the crunch clash