Tony Pulis admitted it was always an uphill task after Albion's slow start in their 2-0 defeat to Manchester United.
United took the lead in the 5th minute when Albion's back line was exposed allowing Zlatan Ibrahimovic to head home from close range.
Ibrahimovic was then lucky to escape a red card after a late shoulder charge during an aerial collision with Craig Dawson.
Albion struggled to create any clear-cut chances against a well drilled United side and Ibrahimovic scored his second when his deflected effort found the net in the 58th minute.
Pulis afterwards refused to answer directly whether he thought Ibrahimovic should've had an early bath. But he claimied the reaction from the home fans spoke volumes.
"Ask the 28,000 fans what they thought of it," he said afterwards.
"We gave them a poor goal at the start, which was disappointing. It knocked us a little bit flat.
"At half-time I said 'let's make sure we stay in the game, we'll grow into it' and I thought we would. The last thing we wanted was that second goal. It was very fortuitous.
"We've played against a team who have found some form and you can see why."
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