Analysis: Darren Moore continues to work miracles at West Brom
Albion weren't just dead and buried, they were decomposing and moss had started to grow on their tombstone.
They were written off by everybody, the pundits, the players, their own board. Every realist in the stands knew they were down, relegation has been prefixed with the word 'inevitable' in these pages for weeks.
But somehow, beyond belief, beyond all reasonable expectation, the Baggies are still not down.
They could have been relegated weeks ago, had they lost at Old Trafford and other results gone against them. Four games and three wins later, they are still fighting.
Darren Moore is a religious man so perhaps there is someone up there smiling down on him.
That’s not to suggest the victories Albion are getting are anything down to divine intervention – they’ve been built on pillars of performance like hard work, attention to detail, and organisation.
But the Baggies are also clinging onto their Premier League status thanks to results elsewhere going their way.
They needed three other games to fall in place at the weekend, and even though two of their relegation rivals took the lead, neither won.
Jake Livermore’s 92nd-minute winner was dramatic enough, and left plenty inside The Hawthorns with racing heartbeats.
But two hours later Tom Davies’s deflected equaliser at Goodison Park in the sixth minute of four minutes added time somehow trumped it.
Even if Albion go down this season, and that is still incredibly likely, it is fitting that the fans were given more than two hours to appreciate and celebrate Saturday, because it was the perfect performance against a top four side, a well-drilled and determined defensive display that threatened on the counter and from set pieces.
It epitomised Moore’s successful back-to-basics approach, and once more played to Albion’s strengths, which were honed under nearly three years of Tony Pulis.
Craig Dawson and Ahmed Hegazi were immense at the back, and continued to impress together.
They have only lost one out of nine games as a partnership this season, and kept five clean sheets together.
The midfield was organised too, and it is testament to their fight that James McClean was booed at the start but given a rousing ovation when he was subbed off.
Matt Phillips was electric again, swinging inch-perfect corners into dangerous positions and providing an outlet on the counter.
Ben Foster made important saves, Salomon Rondon was heroic in his lone battle against three centre-backs, Jay Rodriguez did miles of thankless running.
Chris Brunt's free-kicks were dangerous, he and Livermore's shape was disciplined, and they both had a hand in the goal.
Livermore has been a revelation in recent weeks and has – quite rightly – received plenty of praise for it. Two goals, one assist, and a player of the month nomination, he's a man transformed.
But Brunt's role over the past few weeks as stand-in skipper in central midfield cannot be downplayed.
He has stepped up to become a leader, epitomised by the way he calmed Allan Nyom down after the full-back lost his head in a second-half altercation with Danny Rose.
Spurs may have had much more possession, more shots, and more on target, but Albion had a higher expected goals figure. That tells you how this game went.
The Baggies were effective, they weathered the white tide, and at times the nerves were jangling, but they kept Spurs at arm’s length for the most part.
After keeping it level for 70 minutes, Moore sent on the cavalry, the well-paid stars that were supposed to take this club to the next level but for one reason or another have failed to.
And while Daniel Sturridge, Nacer Chadli, and Grzegorz Krychowiak may not have had a hand in the goal, their fresh legs helped turn the tide in Albion’s favour.
The goal had been coming, but that didn’t prepare anyone for the outpouring of emotion when it went in. There have been few moments of pure elation like that at The Hawthorns this season.
Albion were seconds away from going down, but they are refusing to die under Moore.
The calls to give him the full-time job are growing louder, and they are coming from more and more sources.
Nobody could deny that he deserves it, provided he wants it. Not only is he beating the creme de la creme of managerial talent in this country, he is uniting the club while doing so.
Before he took over, a lap of appreciation by the players would have been completely out of the question. But thousands stayed on Saturday to applaud the team.
He is repairing relationships off the field and working miracles on it. He’s making the previously unthinkable possible again.
If tomorrow’s match between Swansea and Southampton ends in a draw, Albion will still have a chance heading into the final day of the season.
And we’ve been there before haven’t we? Maybe, just maybe, it's written in the stars.
