West Brom held off a strong Peterborough fightback to claim three hard-earned points in an enthralling Coca-Cola Championship clash at London Road.

Albion were three goals to the good and cruising with 41 minutes on the clock thanks to Luke Moore's brace - the first of which came courtesy of a mistake from Posh keeper Joe Lewis - and Chris Brunt's first of the season.

But Peterborough rallied strongly and Craig Mackail-Smith's diving header gave the hosts hope at the end of a pulsating opening 45 minutes.

The Championship new boys flew at the Baggies at the start of the second half and Aaron Mclean pulled another back from close range in the 53rd minute.

London Road erupted shortly after as Posh again had the ball in the net only to see the 'goal' rightly ruled out for a foul on Scott Carson.

But Albion closed out the game, despite Graham Dorrans' 90th-minute dismissal, to make it seven points from their opening three games.

The big surprise among the pre-match team news was the omission of captain Jonathan Greening from Albion's matchday 18, raising serious questions over the midfielder's long-term future after he handed in a transfer request earlier this summer.

Greening's shock absence could have had an adverse effect on the Baggies but the visitors flew out of the blocks and grabbed the breakthrough after just three minutes.

Gabriel Zakuani cheaply surrendered possession to Moore on the edge of the area and he fired a speculative effort towards goal that England Under-21 keeper Lewis allowed to horribly squirm under his body and into the net.

Albion continued to dominate the early stages and Posh boss Darren Ferguson was forced to adopt a more attacking intent with only 15 minutes on the clock in an attempt to change matters.

And he soon saw his charges grab a foothold on the game, with Albion keeper Carson called upon to make a great save from Mclean and Mackail-Smith somehow putting wide from close range.

But West Brom capitalised on the open nature of the game and Moore doubled their lead in the 34th minute, converting from 12 yards after a neat through ball from youngster Chris Wood.

It was 3-0 shortly before the break as Brunt converted after good work from on-loan debutant Shaun Cummings down the right.

But there was still time for Mackail-Smith to pull a goal back for Posh with a header from Shaun Batt's cross, bringing an end to a breathless first half.

Peterborough really looked to impose themselves at the start of the second half and got their reward.

The impressive George Boyd put a cross into the box from the left-hand side and Mclean beat Jonas Olsson to poke home from six yards.

A thrilling encounter looked to take a new twist just minutes later as the hosts had the ball in the net once again but, with London Road celebrating, referee Graham Horwood rightly ruled it out for a foul on Carson.

Lewis made a smart stop from Moore at the other end just after the hour mark as Albion posed a slight threat.

But they did enough in the remaining quarter of the encounter to hold on for a hard-fought victory, with Dorrans' dismissal for a bad foul on Charlie Lee a disappointing way to finish.

Teams

Peterborough: Lewis, Lee, Morgan (Rowe 76), Zakuani, Williams (Martin 14), Batt, Coutts, Diagouraga (Frecklington 63), Boyd, Mackail-Smith, Mclean.

Subs Not Used: McKeown, Keates, Pearce, Green.

Booked: Batt, Coutts.

Goals: Mackail-Smith 45, Mclean 53.

West Brom: Carson, Cummings, Martis, Olsson, Mattock, Brunt, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Cech (Thomas 67), Wood (Koren 54), Moore (Beattie 88).

Subs Not Used: Kiely, Barnett, Reid, Cox.

Sent Off: Dorrans (90).

Booked: Dorrans, Martis.

Goals: Moore 3, 34, Brunt 41.

Att: 8,752

Ref: Graham Horwood (Bedfordshire).