Peter Odemwingie paid tribute to West Bromwich Albion teammate Shane Long after victory over Chelsea.

Man-of-the-match Long, 25, had celebrated his goal with a special message to his late nan then flew straight home to Ireland to be with his family following her death on the eve of this crucial victory.

And fellow scorer Odemwingie revealed Long's refusal to make a drama out of a trauma speaks volumes for his character.

The Nigerian hotshot, 31, said: "I didn't know about Shane's loss until it was mentioned to me in an interview after the match.

"I wondered why he was a bit quiet when we were celebrating with some music in the dressing-room after the match.

"Now it is clear and he deserves all the respect for playing because it was a big game for us and he played very well. So credit to him for that.

"It was our best three points of the season because it has ended all the doubts about our great start.

"It gives us great belief that we are growing as a team and as individual players. We are all improving and we're looking more ambitious.

"Maybe in the past I didn't always see Shane crossing the ball so nicely, but this season he has been doing it perfectly and that's why I made that run for my goal.

"I knew where he was going to put the ball and that I just had to get into the right position to connect with it."