West Brom 2 Southampton 3 - Report and pictures

In April 2015 the Baggies lost 3-2 to bottom club Leicester on a day devoted to a legendary no.9, and it felt like history was repeating itself at The Hawthorns today.

The trouble is that this time, it's Albion who are rock-bottom, and following this result, they are deep in trouble.

It all started so well, with Ahmed Hegazi giving the hosts the lead just four minutes in with a towering header.

But then three Southampton goals in 15 minutes either side of half-time stunned the home side and left them staring at a damaging defeat.

Even though Salomon Rondon pulled one back with around 20 minutes to go, Albion couldn't find the equaliser in the final minutes.

It leaves them four points adrift with just a dozen games left in the league, and the packed Hawthorns crowd that turned out to say goodbye to a true legend of the game, left the ground with serious concerns over the current crop's plight.

It's worth remembering Alan Pardew's team was severely depleted by injuries to crucial players.

Jonny Evans, Kieran Gibbs, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Jake Livermore and Hal Robson-Kanu have all joined James Morrison and Nacer Chadli on the sidelines.

Allan Nyom played left-back, Claudio Yacob partnered Gareth Barry in midfield, and captain for the day Gareth McAuley partnered Ahmed Hegazi at the back.

But the biggest talking point from Pardew's selection came up front, where he handed Liverpool loanee Daniel Sturridge his first start in Baggies blue and white.

That meant he dropped in-form Jay Rodriguez against his former club, despite the fact the striker had scored five goals in his previous seven games.

The Hawthorns was emotionally charged after a series of pre-match tributes to Regis, but the team seemed to draw on that passion rather than let it overpower them, and they started perfectly.

Less than four minutes were on the clock when Chris Brunt whipped a corner to the back post where Hegazi was on hand to crash a towering header home from six yards out having lost his man in the box.

It was the Egyptian's second goal of the season, but first since the opening day victory at home to Bournemouth.

Spririts were high, and two minutes later Sturridge gave the home fans a glimpse of his capabalities with a cruyff-turn in the Saints box that wriggled him free of two defenders, but his cross to the back post was too high for Matt Phillips.

It was a bright start from the Liverpool loanee, who nearly found the winger soon after with a clever reverse ball, but Saints keeper Alex McCarthy was quick off his line.

Those two were encouragingly friendly in the first 15 minutes, and Phillips nearly found Sturridge with a pull-back after an electric burst down the right wing.

It was hardly one-way traffic mind, and Sofiane Boufal gave Albion a warning shot with a fizzed effort from range that grazed Ben Foster's post before Guido Carrillo put a good chance wide of the same upright.

Carrillo missed an even better chance 20 minutes after good work on the wing from Mario Lemina, but Southampton were starting to see more and more of the ball in Albion's half.

The Baggies were struggling to get a hold of the game, and were missing Krychowiak's energy in the middle, as Southampton started to exploit more and more pockets of space that had started to open up.

Ten minutes before the break Sturridge worked himself his first sight of goal when Brunt played the ball into him on the edge of the area.

Quick as a flash the striker had rolled his man, but his shot from a narrow angle was just over McCarthy's bar.

But just before half-time Southampton hit the Baggies with a quick one-two that stunned everyone in the stadium except the away fans.

Five minutes before the break, just as it looked like Albion would take a lead into the dressing room, Mario Lemina unleashed an unstoppable rocket from 25 yards into Foster's top corner.

It was a cracking hit, but the Baggies were slow to get out to him, and they conceded the corner in the first place after Phillips put in a weak challenge on the half-way line.

Three minutes later, and Albion were behind. This time the set-piece specialists were undone by a simple corner from the opposition.

Nobody tracked Jack Stephens' run to the near post and the team watched on in horror as his flick-on looped over everyone and inside the far post.

There was still time in the first half for Brunt to force McCarthy into a full-stretch save from a free-kick, but when Michael Oliver's whistle went, the mood was flat.

Southampton nearly had a third after half-time when Dusan Tadic latched onto a long ball that Hegazi misjudged and lifted the ball over Foster, but fortunately for Albion, McAuley was on hand to mop up.

Albion looked lost, stunned, and unable to compete with the quick feet of Tadic, Boufal, and Lemina.

Ten minutes after the break, Wesley Hoedt was allowed to stride forward from centre-back, unchecked, until Barry finally brought him on the edge of the box.

Boufal wanted the free-kick but his team-mates made sure it was given to James Ward-Prowse, and rightly so.

The midfielder curled a low free-kick around the wall and into Foster's far corner, although he seemed to have a large chunk of the net to aim at.

That sparked Pardew into action, and he threw on Rodriguez and Oliver Burke in place of Sturridge and Yacob.

It was the £15m forgotten man who made the quickest impact, using his blistering pace to nearly latch onto Barry's ball over the top.

A few minutes later he latched onto Rondon's cross and burst past Stephens, but the ball just ran away from him, allowing McCarthy to rush out and smother.

There was a hint of contact but Burke stayed on his feet and the chance went begging.

Southampton quickly regained control of the match, and were easily passing through Albion's team at will.

Only a last-ditch toe from Dawson denied them a fourth, cutting out Tadic's cross destined for an unmarked Boufal in the middle.

But 18 minutes from time the Baggies were handed a lifeline. On a day devoted to one of the club's all-time heroes, Chris Brunt's left foot continued to cement its place in Albion folklore.

After setting up the earlier goal from a corner, this time he whipped in an inviting delivery from deep.

Rondon rose highest and even though the ball hit his shoulder, it bounced inside the far post to set up a grandstand finish.

The Hawthorns was rocking after that, as Pardew rolled his last dice, sending James McClean on for Allan Nyom.

Albion were flooding forward, and they wanted a penalty ten minutes before the end when Ryan Bertrand shoved Rodriguez in the back on the edge of the area but referee Michael Oliver gave nothing.

Shane Long went down in the other area moments later but once again, Oliver said no, and shortly after that the former Baggie missed a glorious chance at the back post, heading over from six yards out.

The game grew scrappy after that, as Albion sent more and more men up the pitch in search of an equaliser while Southampton struggled to put the game to bed on the counter attack.

As hard as they tried, the Baggies couldn't muster up another chance of real note.

Pardew has 12 games left to keep this team up, but the positivity that January had brought has now ebbed away.

Key moments

04 GOAL ALBION - Brunt whips a corner to the back post where Hegazi is on hand to crash home a towering header.

40 GOAL SOUTHAMPTON - Boufal lays the ball off to Lemina 25 yards out and he fires an unstoppable rocket into Foster's top corner

43 GOAL SOUTHAMPTON - A near post corner finds Jack Stephens, who flicks on a header that loops inside the far post.

55 GOAL SOUTHAMPTON - James Ward-Prowse curls a low free-kick around the wall after Wesley Hoedt was allowed to march through Albion's midfield unchecked.

71 GOAL ALBION - Brunt's cross from deep is inviting and it bounces off Rondon's shoulder and inside the far post.

Position in the table

20th, with 20 points from 26 games.

Teams

Albion (4-4-2): Foster; Dawson, Hegazi, McAuley (c), Nyom (McClean 77); Phillips, Barry, Yacob (Burke 62), Brunt; Sturridge (Rodriguez 62), Rondon. Unused subs: Myhill, Jameson, Field, Harper.

Southampton (4-4-1-1): McCarthy, Cedric, Stephens, Hoedt, Bertrand (c), Lemina, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Boufal (Hojbjerg 85), Tadic (Redmond 88), Carrillo (Long 74). Unused subs: Forster, Yoshida, Davis, Gabbiadini.

Referee: Michael Oliver

Attendance: 25,911 (2,175 away)