West Brom suffered their second straight defeat as a resurgent Barnsley prevailed 3-1 at Oakwell.
Tykes claim impressive 3-1 home victory
West Brom suffered their second straight Championship defeat as a resurgent Barnsley prevailed 3-1 at Oakwell.
The Tykes took the lead through Adam Hammill after 14 minutes and Iain Hume then made it 2-0 from the penalty spot in the 32nd minute.
Barnsley got a third goal when Shelton Martis put the ball into his own net before Chris Brunt provided some late consolation for the Baggies.
Barnsley started superbly and were quickly rewarded. Hugo Colace failed to make clean contact as he looked to meet Jon Macken's right-wing cross with an acrobatic volley, but Hammill picked up the loose ball and turned his marker before prodding home with the outside of his right boot.
The Tykes continued to enjoy the better of proceedings as the half wore on, with the front pairing of Hume and Macken particularly impressive.
However, Roman Bednar wasted a golden opportunity for the visitors on the half hour, fluffing his shot from close range after Robert Koren's cross had deflected into his path.
Barnsley made the Albion forward pay in the 32nd minute, Hume confidently sending Scott Carson the wrong way from the spot after Martis had been penalised for a foul on Macken.
Thunderous
Jonas Olsson headed wide from a corner and Graham Dorrans saw a thunderous half-volley superbly tipped over by Bartosz Bialkowski as Albion looked to hit back.
The hosts, meanwhile, saw Anderson limp off injured towards the end of the half, with Julian Gray replacing him.
West Brom introduced Gonzalo Jara in place of Youssouf Mulumbu at the break and were immediately in the ascendancy in the opening stages of the second period, with the hosts seemingly content to sit on their lead.
However, Roberto Di Matteo's side were unable to break down a spirited Barnsley backline, and Bialkowski remained largely untroubled as the hour mark ticked by.
Joe Mattock was forced to clear off the line from a Barnsley corner in the 69th minute as the hosts looked to wrap up the three points.
At the other end, the impressive Ryan Shotton made a fine block to deny Bednar, before Martis headed the resulting corner over the bar.
Hume was withdrawn to rapturous applause with 14 minutes remaining, and the home supporters were given further reason to cheer in the 80th minute as Martis inadvertently directed Hammill's cross into his own net.
Brunt's powerful long-range strike ensured Albion at least got on the scoresheet, but it was too little, too late for Di Matteo's men.
