Bristol City 3-0 West Bromwich Albion: Sam Bell & Alex Scott fire Robins into fifth round

Bristol City's young forwards Sam Bell and Alex Scott inspired their side to an excellent win over fellow Championship side West Brom.

Bell, 20, seized on a loose ball when the visitors failed to clear a corner to open the scoring after 12 minutes.

Teenager Scott finished Mark Sykes' inviting cross to make it two after 28 minutes and Bell grabbed his second after 48 minutes with a dinked finish.

Bell had a chance to claim his hat-trick but was denied by David Button.

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West Brom have been in fine league form since manager Carlos Corberan arrived but it was the hosts who started brightly, with plenty of energy and movement in their attacking play.

Bell was first to react when West Brom failed to clear a corner and, as defenders hesitated all around him, he pounced on the loose ball to curl it around Button.

There was more dubious defending from the Baggies five minutes later when Semi Ajayi and Button got into a mix-up which allowed Nahki Wells to nip in and get an effort on goal, but the visiting goalkeeper got enough on it to keep the ball out.

Sam Bell followed up his winning goal in the last round by opening the scoring for the Robins against West Brom

It was almost a defensive error at the other end which got West Brom back level shortly afterwards as Jed Wallace dispossessed Rob Atkinson on the edge of the Robins box and his deflected effort looped up dangerously over Max O'Leary, but the goalkeeper reacted well to keep his side ahead.

The Robins made it two shortly before the half-hour mark when Wells fed Sykes, who sent the ball across the six-yard box where Scott was waiting to score his first goal of the season.

West Brom then threatened again in an entertaining first half when Daryl Dike found space for a shot across O'Leary, but the Bristol City goalkeeper was equal to it.

The hosts stretched their lead three minutes after the restart when George Tanner crossed for Bell, who took the ball down before lifting it over the diving Button with an exquisite finish for his second of the afternoon.

Bell's second came courtesy of a delightful dinked finish over Baggies goalkeeper David Button

Nigel Pearson's side were full of confidence and continued to search for more goals, with Bell and Scott combining again after 71 minutes, but Button rushed out of goal to deny the former a memorable treble.

West Brom went close on a number of occasions as they looked to get on the scoresheet but O'Leary denied substitute Brandon Thomas-Asante and Okay Yokuslu with excellent reflex saves to ensure the Robins made it into the fifth round.

Robins manager Nigel Pearson told BBC Radio Bristol:

"The result is very important of course but the fashion in which we played is also one of great encouragement for everybody.

"We've had our troubles in terms of consistency of performance this year but I think the players deserve a lot of credit for how they've been able to put together a very efficient performance against a good side. We looked dangerous throughout.

"It was quite exciting to watch but in order to do that you need a lot of discipline behind and I think that's what pleased me today, we were disciplined, we worked hard and when we had our opportunities we really made them work."

On Sam Bell:

"He's in a good place and has been for a while. He's needed the chance and competition has been such that it's been hard for him to break in but now is his opportunity and he's doing everything he can to take it."

Baggies boss Carlos Corberan told BBC WM 95.6:

"We made more technical mistakes today than in other games and we suffered a lot of counter-attacks. I didn't see the mentality of my team out on the pitch today.

"It's a disappointing feeling to have lost tonight and to not keep going in the competition, which was of course the target that we had. We lost the ball more today in the middle of the pitch than normal and that gives the advantage to the opponent to attack you.

"We didn't manage the game well tactically but also when it came to the last pass, the last cross, the last part of the attack, we did not do it with the normal accuracy."