Jeremy Sarmiento stunner consigns Bluebirds to second home defeat in a row
Media Wales
Cardiff City slumped to a frustrating 1-0 defeat at the hands of West Brom courtesy of a screamer from Jeremy Sarmiento.
The Bluebirds were riding high off the back of that turnaround win up at Deepdale at the weekend, but in all truth they turned out a flat and feckless performance back on home soil against the Baggies.
In a game generally devoid of quality, it was Brighton's Sarmiento who brought Premier League class to this gritty game when, just after the break, he sent a stunning, whipped effort into the Bluebirds' goal from an unlikely angle. Cardiff could barely huff nor puff. They lacked ideas and creativity and the Baggies, all things considered, were good for the win. Cardiff's second home defeat in a row after their capitulation against Norwich City a fortnight ago.
Erol Bulut had a few selection dilemmas heading into the tie, with Jamilu Collins suspended owing to his five yellow cards so far this season, while Karlan Grant was ineligible to face his parent club. There were question marks surrounding Alex Runarsson, too, after his part in Preston North End's goal at the weekend, but he kept his place over Jak Alnwick.
Elsewhere, Mahlon Romeo was introduced and played on the right, while Perry Ng was shipped over to the left. Ollie Tanner was given his chance from the off in Grant's stead.
The match started with a real arm wrestle to decide which team was in the ascendancy, but the visitors arguably had the lion's share of possession and territory in the first half an hour, with neither team really troubling their opponents' goal.
It was a flat atmosphere and the game was doing very little to lift it. That was, of course, until a loose ball spilled out to Callum Robinson on the edge of the box. The former West Brom man shifted it on to his right before lifting his effort narrowly over the bar.
It ignited the tie, somewhat, and a flurry of chance followed. The Baggies arguably had the best of the lot in the first half. Robinson and Mahlon Romeo had a slight mix-up following a Bluebirds corner and the ball fell to a West Brom shirt and they burst upfield, creating a four-against-two situation, with Manolis Siopis backpedalling to bide his team some time. But Grady Diangana found the killer pass to Sarmiento and the on-loan Brighton man slid his shot past Runarsson, but not past the post as the ball rebounded into play. A let-off for City.
And they tried to make the most of it, Cardiff, well, to be specific, Josh Bowler and his twinkle-toes did. The Nottingham Forest loanee picked up a loose ball just inside West Brom's half before embarking on a stunning solo run, seeing off Sarmiento and former Bluebird Cedric Kipre in the process, before finding himself one-on-one with Alex Palmer. The Baggies 'keeper rushed out, made himself big and denied Cardiff's winger.
All things considered, though, it was a drab, flat first half and the expectant crowd were right for wanting more in the second half. And they got it in the form of Sarmiento's strike.
Just minutes after the restart, the Ecuadorian cut back inside under pressure from Bowler and, from a seemingly impossible angle, hit a stunning, whipped effort over Runarsson and into the far corner from 25 yards. The game needed a real moment of quality and he provided it.
The goal prompted a quadruple substitution from Bulut either side of the hour, with Ike Ugbo, Ryan Wintle, Jonathan Panzo and Rubin Colwill all introduced for the last 30 minutes.
But it appeared to make little difference to Cardiff's fortunes. If anything, West Brom had the better of the opportunities shortly after the changes. Brandon Thomas-Asante latched on to the end of a mammoth throw into the box and headed towards goal, but nodded it over the bar from point-blank rage.
Cardiff lumped the odd ball into the box late on, but it never looked like troubling the sturdy Baggies defence. They were outplayed and can hardly complain about the result.
Cardiff City XI: Runarsson; Romeo (Panzo 56), Goutas, McGuinness, Ng; Siopis, Ralls (Wintle 56); Bowler, Robinson (Colwill 65), Tanner (Etete 76); Meite (Ugbo 56).
Subs: Alnwick, Adams, Sawyers, Rinomhota.
West Brom XI: Palmer; Furlong, Bartley, Kipre, Townsend; Okay (Molumby 74), Mowatt; Wallace (Thomas-Asante 21), Diangana (Fellows 65), Swift (Maja 74); Sarmiento (Phillips 65).
Subs: Griffthis, Ajayi, Chalobah, Pipa.
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