West Bromwich Albion v Liverpool 1-4 (League match: May 6, 1922)

May 6, 1922
Match: Football League, First Division, at The Hawthorns, kick-off: 15:00.
West Bromwich Albion – Liverpool 1-4 (1-4).
Attendance: 15,000.
Referee: Mr. G.N. Watson.
West Bromwich (2-3-5): Hubert Pearson, Joe Smith, Jesse Pennington, Ernest Watson, Sid Bowser, Bobby McNeal, Tommy Magee, Charlie Wilson, Stan Davies, Fred Morris, Howard Gregory.
Liverpool (2-3-5): Elisha Scott, Ephraim Longworth, Donald Mackinlay, John McNab, Walter Wadsworth, Tom Bromilow, William Lacey, Dick Forshaw, Harry Chambers, George Harold Beadles, Fred Hopkin.
The goals: 0-1 Forshaw (7 min.), 0-2 Beadles (14 min.), 0-3 Beadles (23 min.), 1-3 Davies (39 min.), 1-4 McNab (41 min.).
** The Athletic News wrote that Watson played inside right (8) for West Bromwich Albion. All official sources have Wilson.

Liverpool display fine football at West Bromwich.
In the last game of their championship season Liverpool had the belated satisfaction of extracting ample revenge for two defeats which West Bromwich Albion have inflicted upon them at Anfield since Christmas. They produced their real championship form and made the Albion look another team altogether. Moreover, they established their superiority when they were operating against a stiffish wind which made the ball describe circles out of all reckoning by the players.

In the second half with the elements in their favour they were not so impressive, and Albion; too, fell away with the result that the opening period absorbed practically all the good football. An early goal from Forshaw, who took a cross from the left and beat Pearson with a deceptive drive, gave Liverpool great inducement to persevere on the left wing, where Albion were at big disadvantage through the absence of Richardson.

Liverpool’s powerful left.
Watson, appearing for the first time, proved to have more industry than skill and the Liverpool left wing was beyond his power in control. Beadles made a glorious individual effort which carried him from the half-way line to the goal; where he beat Pearson, and Beadles followed this with another goal from Chambers’ pass after experiencing very bad luck with two drives, which beat Scott, but hit an obstruction and came back into play.

Davies utilised a free kick just outside the penalty line to score Albion’s goal, but no sooner had the ball been set in motion than McNab delivered a long curling shot which turned outside Pearson’s reach and into the net. All five goals came in the space of forty minutes and were real eye-openers of marksmanship.

After the interval Liverpool’s superiority was more pronounced in midfield than near goal, where Pearson brought off several skilful clearances, notably from Beadles, who was the best shot on the field. Liverpool unquestionably established their title to success, for they played every clever and polished football, and in the flow of their tide they overwhelmed the Albion’s defence.

McNab, the foller.
Their best men, having due regard to the opposition immediately confronting them, were Beadles and Forshaw, but the whole set moved with delightful ease and freedom, and, of course, they had good fortune with them. McNab was a dominating half-back, whilst Mackinlay was a sound back. Scott was not unduly extended.

Albion shaped much more impressively when the goals were piling up against them than when they were missing, but the changing of positions in the second half achieved nothing but confusion. Only four men finished where they began, and of the others Gregory, Magee, and McNeal shaped best. Morris was strangely quiet, and Davies seemed thrown out of gear by his ill-luck as a marksman.
(The Athletic News, 08-05-1922)