West Brom 3-3 Cardiff
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was known for one particularly famous late goal during his playing days.
But his Cardiff sub Mats Daehli’s strike in the fifth minute of stoppage time at West Brom could be almost as important to him personally as the winner for Manchester United in the 1999 Champions League Final against Bayern Munich.
Daehli struck with the final kick of an exhilarating relegation six pointer that had just about everything.
West Brom appeared to be cruising to a major victory when Morgan Amalfitano and Graham Dorrans put them 2-0 ahead with nine minutes on the clock.
But Jordon Mutch pulled one back on 31 minutes and then Steven Caulker levelled 17 minutes from time before late drama when Bifouma thought he had won it in the fourth minute of injury time.
‘The heart is OK. It was exciting but I’ve calmed down now,’ said Solskjaer after Daehli finished after Peter Whittingham had prodded on Craig Bellamy’s cross.
‘I’m so happy we got the goal we deserved, we never deserved to lose that.
‘I’ve never seen us so pedestrian and so spectatorish in the first ten minutes.
‘We may as well have sat in the stands but the reaction was magnificent.
‘It says all apart the team and the supporters who sucked the ball in. It could be a turning point.’
Cardiff are still three points behind Albion who occupy the final safe position in the Premier League but the gap to safety would have been three points had Daehli not struck.
One can only wonder how West Brom did not win this though. In front of an electric Hawthorns atmosphere they took the game to Cardiff in a breathless opening.
Amalfitano got them on their way with a contender for goal of the season, producing an outrageous 30-yard lob from an acute angle which beat David Marshall less than two minutes in.
It was soon two as Dorrans converted a free-flowing pass move where Matej Vydra unselfishly squared from Amalfitano’s cross.
But Cardiff recovered thanks to Mutch’s strike from distance although Solskjaer later claimed it was intended as a cross.
West Brom though should have put the game to bed with Vydra and James Morrison both missing clear chances in the same move.
Caulker punished them with a header from Gary Medel’s free kick and the visitors appeared more likely to find a winner.
However West Brom boss Mel was on his feet as his two subs Saido Berahino and Bifouma combining with the latter playing in the former.
Joy turned to pain for Mel though after Daehli’s strike with the Spaniard furious Berahino gave the ball away and the referee played further than the allotted four minutes added time.
‘I feel quite bad, the spirit is bad in the changing room,’ he said.
‘A wrong decision was made by Berahino. We were 3-2 up and had a counter attack, that should have been the end of the game.
‘Four minutes should be four minutes. An extra minute was played but four minutes is four minutes.
—Daily Mail