West Brom 0 Southampton 0
After the heartbreaking defeat at Carrow Road, it would be more than a fortnight before Albion’s fight against relegation would resume. Before Southampton visited the Hawthorns on 22nd February for game 27 of the season, Albion had an FA Cup fourth round replay at White Hart Lane (which they lost 3-1) and then an empty weekend as the fifth round was played.
Both Norwich City and Crystal Palace played matches in the meantime and it was good news for both the Baggies and the Saints as they both lost heavily. Blackburn Rovers beat the Canaries 3-0 at Ewood Park while Arsenal hammered Palace 5-1 at Highbury. This fixture would be the game in hand for both teams with the possibility for Albion to move level with Norwich and for Southampton to move out of the bottom three.
As it was, neither would happen as, despite an open game, the scoresheet remained unsullied. Kieran Richardson was Albion’s brightest player hitting the crossbar with a free kick while Henri Camara came closest for the visitors, Russell Hoult saving well from his effort.
The point moved Southampton above Norwich City on goal difference while Blackburn’s win over the Canaries meant that they had opened a six point gap to 17th place. After round 27, with 11 games left, stood as follows.
Premier League Table – 22nd February 2005
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15th | Fulham | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 33 | 44 | -11 | 29 |
| 16th | Blackburn Rovers | 27 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 24 | 36 | -15 | 28 |
| 17th | Crystal Palace | 27 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 30 | 45 | -15 | 22 |
| 18th | Southampton | 27 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 28 | 43 | -15 | 20 |
| 19th | Norwich City | 27 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 26 | 52 | -26 | 20 |
| 20th | ALBION | 27 | 2 | 12 | 13 | 23 | 49 | -26 | 18 |
If you cannot see the table, click here.
