Gary Megson's promotion-chasing West Brom had a field day as they shattered
poor Portsmouth at The Hawthorns.
It was high-flying Albion's biggest win of the season - and the heaviest
defeat for under-pressure Portsmouth boss Graham Rix.
Albion were always in control of the one-sided game and they took it by the
scruff of the neck as they smashed four first-half goals past veteran goalkeeper
Dave Beasant.
Albion's record £2million striker Jason Roberts opened the scoring after just
eight minutes when he added the final touch to a superb move through the heart
of the Pompey defence.
Neil Clement crossed from the right, Scott Dobie headed the ball and
Roberts was left with the simple task of side-footing home at close range.
It was 2-0 in the 23rd minute when Icelandic international defender Larus
Sigurdsson grabbed his first goal in two and a half years on the Albion books.
The hard-working Beasant made twracking saves to deny Clement and Dobie but
the ball ran loose for Sigurdsson to find the target from six yards.
Albion stretched their lead in the 38th minute when Dobie ended his five-month
goal drought after Beasant failed to hold a shot from Igor Balis.
Then, in the dying seconds of the first half, Balis got his name on the
scoresheet with his first goal in 14 months at The Hawthorns.
The Slovakian international raced onto a through ball from Roberts before
brilliantly chipping an angled shot over the helpless Beasant.
Megson's men, who moved back up to third spot in the table, eased off the
throttle after the break.
But they made it 5-0 with 10 minutes left on the clock when Roberts was again
the marksman with a well-placed drive to claim his fifth goal in six games.
Pompey - who have now lost nine of their last 13 league outings - did little
to trouble Baggies goalkeeper Russell Hoult, who clocked up his 21st clean sheet
of the season.
Hoult only had to make one save in the game and that was to hold a second-half
free-kick from Robert Prosinecki.
Teams:
West Brom: Hoult, Sigurdsson, Butler, Gilchrist, Balis,
Adam Chambers, McInnes, Johnson (Jordao 87),
Clement (Cummings 85), Roberts, Dobie (Taylor 83).
Subs Not Used: Adamson, Fox.
Booked: Butler.
Goals: Roberts 8, Sigurdsson 24, Dobie 38, Balis 45, Roberts 80.
Portsmouth: Beasant, Zamperini, Buxton, Hiley,
Thogersen (Waterman 45), Quashie, Pettefer, Vincent,
Prosinecki, Biagini, Crouch.
Subs Not Used: Tardif, Pitt, Rudonja, Cooper.
Booked: Prosinecki, Buxton, Vincent.
Att: 21,028
Ref: M Cowburn (Blackpool).
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