Sam Allardyce’s return to Premier League management as the new boss of West Bromwich Albion was not a happy one as Aston Villa won 3-0 and Baggies captain Jake Livermore saw red in the first half.
Aston Villa Spoil Sam Allardyce’s Return
Villa Impress at The Hawthorns
Sam Allardyce was back in the dugout as he returned to Premier League management with West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns. Aston Villa were the visitors as Allardyce looked to lift the Baggies up the league table following the sacking of Slaven Bilic.
West Brom went into the game second from bottom with just seven points and the worst defensive record in the league, and it took just five minutes for Sam Allardyce to see why with Anwar El-Ghazi putting Villa ahead. Things got even worse for Allardyce when his captain saw red.
Reckless Livermore Sees Red
In the 37th minute, Jake Livermore went in on Villa Captain Jack Grealish right in front of the technical area. Match official Martin Atkinson brandished a yellow card but VAR instructed him to check the pitchside monitor. On doing so, Atkinson saw the true nature of Livermore’s challenge which was high and over the ball, and consequently led to the yellow card becoming red.
Huge Task for Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce’s return to management could not have been any worse. Aston Villa stepped up the pressure in the second half and Ollie Watkins and El-Ghazi from the penalty spot earned Villa a 3-0 win. Dean Smith’s side are now just four points off the top four with two games in hand.
For Allardyce, he has now seen the size of the task facing him. He has never been relegated from the Premier League in his career and that is why West Brom have brought him into the club. Next up for Big Sam is an away trip to Liverpool on Sunday, 27 December as the task shows no signs of getting any easier.
Allardyce will look to the fact that his new team are only three points away from safety but his first task has to be to shore up a leaky defence if he is to save West Bromwich Albion from a swift return to the Championship.
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