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Tony Pulis: Injuries and defensive failures hurt West Brom in Everton defeat

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Tony Pulis felt West Brom had the game in their own hands and then gave it to Everton with some bad defending

Tony Pulis blamed West Brom's injuries and failure to defend crosses after Everton came back from 2-0 down to win at the Hawthorns on Monday Night Football.

Defender Gareth McAuley was ruled out of the clash with a calf injury, while fellow centre-half Jonas Olsson went off early on with a groin injury which Pulis says is worrying.

A double from Romelu Lukaku and another goal from Arouna Kone gave Everton the win, having been two down with 35 minutes remaining.

Image: Lukaku nips in to score the winner and seal the comeback for Everton

Pulis told Sky Sports: "We get the second goal and all we've got to do is be really tight and solid for 10 minutes and then the game will settle down again.

"Unfortunately we gave a soft goal. I don't think it helped that we lost [Gareth] McAuley yesterday and then lost [Jonas] Olsson after 15 minutes, and they are two players that when crosses come in they defend them very well, and Everton have scored off two crosses.

"[Olsson] looks like he's done his groin, which is a worry, and with him and McAuley out we are struggling really."

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Gary Neville praised Everton winger Gerard Deulofeu and said West Brom just could not deal with his threat from wide areas in the Monday Night Football clash

Pulis also insisted Everton's second goal should have been given offside, and the replays showed Kone was just the wrong side of Chris Brunt as Lukaku made the through ball for the equaliser.

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"The second goal is offside, I don't know what the linesman is doing stooping down and looking inside Brunt.

"He should be stooping down and looking outside of Brunt because the line is on the back of him, not in front of him, so I'd like to know what he was up to then.

Image: Dawson headed West Brom 2-0 up, before Everton mounted a comeback 30 seconds later

"Our defending off the set plays was awful, and when [Craig] Dawson scores you have to get after the ball quickly. We were still celebrating. We gave them the opportunity.

"It's really, really disappointing because we had the game in our hands and we've given it to them really."

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