Sheffield United 1 West Brom 2 - Report and pictures

Second-best throughout most of the first half, the Baggies deservedly fell behind to David McGoldrick's 12th-minute opener and arguably should have been further back.

But after Gareth Barry equalised four minutes before the break with a whipped finish into the near post, Albion grew into the match.

Their second half performance was completely alien to the first and was capped off 14 minutes from time when Kieran Gibbs lashed in his third goal of the season following a delicious Harvey Barnes backheel.

Victory extends Albion's unbeaten run to six games and ensures they put pressure on the front two this weekend.

Moore named an unchanged line-up from the one that drew 2-2 with rivals Villa, as James Morrison and Hal Robson-Kanu remained sidelined through injury.

As thoughts begin to turn to the busy Christmas period, it was rather aptly, the team in red and white who started the brightest.

Mark Duffy was finding pockets of space in between the lines of midfield and defence, and five minutes in, Sam Johnstone was forced to make sure his inswinging cross didn't creep inside his far post.

A minute later and Ahmed Hegazi made up for a sloppy cross-field ball that gifted the hosts possession by putting in an important sliding tackle in his six-yard box.

Johnstone did exactly the same 10 minutes in, passing the ball straight to a red and white shirt before saving well from McGoldrick.

But the Baggies couldn't stem the tide for long, and two minutes later, McGoldrick opened the scoring, placing his finish inside the far post after being slipped in behind Craig Dawson.

It was a deserved lead for the Blades, who tested Johnstone again when Duffy's shot deflected off Tosin Adarabioyo's boot.

The closest Albion came, meanwhile, was when Harvey Barnes nearly chased down a deflected Matt Phillips cross.

Although there were glimpses on the counter-attack, when faced with breaking down their hosts, they looked devoid of ideas, and passed backwards more often than not.

They started to slowly grow into the game, but they still threatened little. A Barnes free-kick on the half-hour mark that drifted wide was the extent of their efforts.

Moore's men didn't come close until the 35th minute when Phillips's corner was whipped goalwards by Dwight Gayle, only for Hegazi to indavertantly block his goalbound shot.

But that just seemed to anger the hosts. Top scorer Billy Sharp forced Dawson into a block up the other end before Jack O'Connell flashed a cross right across Albion's six yard box that was aching to be touched in.

Then, four minutes before the interval, the Baggies drew level against the run of play.

Barnes, the catalyst of so many Albion goals this season, finally got beyond his man with a burst into the box on the left-hand side.

He pulled the ball back across goal, and even though it evaded Kieran Gibbs, Barry was arriving late on to whip it inside the near post for only his second goal in Baggies colours and his first ever in the Championship.

Somehow the sides went into half-time level.

Albion started the second half better than the first. Jay Rodriguez headed over after a nice passing move, before Gayle went down under O'Connell's shove while making his way into the box.

The Blades defender was last man, and Gayle was apoplectic nothing was given.

A few minutes later it was United's turn to appeal when the ball seemed to hit Barry's arms on the floor, but once again Jeremy Simpson said no.

It was a more even contest now, and when Gayle stole possession high up he gave the Baggies a four on two, but his cross hit the first man and the golden chance went begging.

Albion wasted another overload on the hour mark when, this time, Gayle did find Barnes all alone at the back post, but the youngster's attempted chip hit Henderson and went over.

The game was opening up now and United had their chances too. The home crowd wanted a penalty when Dawson won a header before Adarabioyo did just enough to stop McGoldrick nodding in a second at the far post.

But the tide had started to turn, and 14 minutes from time, the Baggies took the lead with a goal of supreme quality.

When Phillips burst down the right, it looked like John Egan had won the ball, but the Albion man outmuscled him before clipping a ball to Barnes at the back post.

The youngster backheeled the ball to the onrushing Gibbs, who found the bottom far corner. It was his second assist of the night.

United inevitably came at Albion, with Chris Wilder making changes while Moore stood firm.

Ten minutes from time, the ball fell kindly to Sharp in the box, the one man United would want it to, but he blazed over.

After that, the Baggies managed the game expertly, and saw out the win in relative comfort.

KEY MOMENTS

12 GOAL UNITED - McGoldrick is slipped in behind Dawson and he places his shot into the bottom far corner.

41 GOAL ALBION - Barnes pulls the ball back across goal and Barry whips it into the near corner.

76 GOAL ALBION - Barnes backheels Phillips's cross to Gibbs, who lashes it into the far corner.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Gareth Barry - Started shakily but scored a cracking goal and was superb after the break, when he controlled the midfield.

POSITION IN THE TABLE

3rd, with 39 points from 22 games.

TEAMS

Sheffield United (3-5-2): Henderson; Basham, O'Connell, Egans; Baldock, Norwood, Fleck (Coutts 58), Duffy (Washington 77), Stevens (Johnson 90); McGoldrick, Sharp (c).

Unused subs: Stearman, Moore, Smith, Cranie.

Albion (4-3-3): Johnstone; Adarabioyo, Dawson, Hegazi, Gibbs; Phillips, Barry, Livermore (c); Rodriguez, Gayle, Barnes (Brunt 90+1).

Unused subs: Myhill, Mears, Townsend, Harper, Burke, Sako.

Referee: Jeremy Simpson

Attendance: 23,400 (1,030 away)