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Venezuelan striker Salomon Rondon dented 10-man Manchester United's top-four challenge with a sharp second-half strike to maintain West Bromwich Albion's Premier League revival Sunday.
The 26-year-old international, who has bagged 14 goals for his national team, controlled Sebastien Pocognoli's cross from the left before burying the ball into the left corner on 67 minutes against an increasingly toothless United, who had lost Juan Mata to a second yellow card on 26 minutes.
The Spanish international was booked for not retreating and blocking a quickly-taken free kick before receiving his marching orders two minutes later for kicking Darren Fletcher's shin in a clumsy tackle.
Que belleza https://t.co/Env2fwwJY9
— Gianfranco Maiorca (@gmaiorca) 6 March 2016
"What beauty."
"You know the first one is a stupid yellow card and then you have to be aware the referee can give a second yellow card," Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal told BBC Sport. "A referee has to decide within one second but when you know the player, Mata never hurts a player."
United's first league defeat at the Hawthorns since 1984 kept them sixth in the table, three points behind Manchester City in fourth, while West Brom climbed to 11th on 39 points with a third win in four league games.
Rondon has enjoyed a decent first season at West Brom netting six Premier League goals so far and one in the FA Cup. His goal on Sunday was his fourth in his last six Premier League appearances.
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