Rotherham 0-4 West Brom: Dwight Gayle hat-trick sees off Millers

Dwight Gayle fired a hat-trick as West Brom continued their Sky Bet Championship promotion charge with a 4-0 rout of lowly Rotherham.

Gayle scored twice in the first half as the Baggies had the game sewn up by the break, with Harvey Barnes also finding the net.

The former Newcastle striker completed his first Albion hat-trick after the break as Darren Moore's side posted a fourth away win on the spin, which keeps them hot on the heels of Leeds and Norwich in the automatic promotion places.

For the Millers, their nine-game unbeaten run at the AESSEAL New York Stadium was ended in miserable fashion and just one win in 16 games leaves them looking over their shoulder, with Ryan Manning missing a late penalty.

The Baggies enjoyed the perfect start as they went ahead in just the sixth minute.

Clark Robertson was adjudged to have fouled Gayle 20 yards out and the striker stepped up to send the resulting free-kick under the wall and into the bottom corner for his 11th goal of the season.

Rotherham produced a spirited response and came close to equalising four minutes later when a corner was cleared to Manning and he cut inside and sent a thundering effort into the post, with Semi Ajayi's shot from the rebound then cleared off the line by Craig Dawson.

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Not getting themselves level proved costly as West Brom doubled the lead in the 20th minute with consummate ease.

Barnes ghosted through a gaping hole in the home defence, slipped in Jay Rodriguez, whose shot hit the post, but Leicester loanee Barnes did what Ajayi could not and fire home the rebound.

Albion made it an opening 45 minutes to remember on the stroke of half-time as they extended their lead further.

Matt Phillips whipped in a free-kick from the left and Gayle got in front of his marker and poked home.

Gayle completed his treble nine minutes after the restart, but he had Millers goalkeeper Marek Rodak to thank for a terrible gaffe.

Trying to prevent a corner, Rodak scrambled to his left but inexcusably dropped the ball, allowing Gayle to snatch an early Christmas present by tapping into an empty net.

The Millers tried to restore some pride and Michael Smith forced keeper Sam Johnstone into a brilliant save to keep out a header and then Robertson saw another effort cleared off the line.

They had no better chance than the 76th-minute penalty, awarded after a foul by Tosin Adarabioyo on Richie Towell, but Manning hit the post and West Brom cleared.

Barnes and Hal Robson-Kanu went close to making it a record defeat at the New York Stadium for Rotherham, but they had to settle for four.

The managers

Paul Warne: "They are a very good side. They way we set up I thought is the best way to set up, the players' performances are as good as we could have asked for.

"The crucial moments in the game they took their chances and we didn't take ours."

Darren Moore: "[Gayle] is a potent striker which his record shows and he illustrated why we want him at the football club and we are pleased to have him here.

"His energy, his enthusiasm for the game, his character, we are delighted to have him. He scores goals but he does tremendous work for the team and he is a joy to work with. We have not even spoken about it (signing him), we have got him here, we are just focusing on the short term, we are at the half way point of the season, there is still a lot of football to be played."

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