da bet7： West Brom came out victorious in the battle of the bottom two in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
da spicy bet： Slaven Bilic’s side defeated Sheffield United at the Hawthorns to finally pick up their first win of the 2020/21 campaign, meaning the rock bottom Blades are now the only winless side remaining in the English top-flight.
Many of the plaudits will go to midfield loan star Conor Gallagher as he bagged the all-important goal in the first half. He was left unmarked on the edge of the area, firing home amongst a heavily-crowded penalty area.
Although, it was another Baggies player that ran the show for Bilic – Matheus Pereira.
The 24-year-old, who is valued at €20m (£18m), was the orchestrator of the engine room, recording a total of 72 touches, and had he been supplying a better frontline, then Albion may well have had a field day on their own patch.
Per SofaScore, Pereira made 36 passes at a success rate of 84%, of which nine were key passes. He also managed three shots, two dribbles, two clearances and one tackle.
BirminghamLive’s Joseph Chapman graded the Brazilian playmaker’s display a 9/10, and claimed: “The Pereira we’ve wanted to see at this level all season. One glorious ball over the top meant for Grant deserved an assist, but for the striker’s mis-control. Some of his through balls were quite mesmeric.”
It really is no wonder the club want to hand him a fresh contract despite only just signing permanently this summer. Pereira could see his £30k-per-week wages rise substantially, as per John Percy at the Telegraph.
Part of the reason for his success against the Blades was the fact that he was finally deployed as a number ten, rather than a winger. No other player on the pitch had more touches, key passes or crosses.
That only emphasises how crucial his impact was on Saturday night.
Now it’s on Bilic to keep him in the role as the Baggies nudged out of the dropzone with the victory.
AND in other news, West Brom must thank Guochuan Lai for his £18m finest parting gift…