Matt Phillips, James Morrison, Darren Fletcher and Rondon wrapped up a comfortable win at the Hawthorns and fired their side into ninth
West Brom dismantled Burnley to leap into the top half of the Premier League table with a comfortable 4-0 victory.
Matt Phillips struck first inside the opening four minutes with a precision turn in the penalty area to give the Baggies the lead against an abject Burnley before James Morrison curled his effort in for 2-0 in the 16th minutes.
Darren Fletcher wrapped up the half with the Baggies' third and his first for the season.
Salomon Rondon got a well-deserved fourth goal of the season in the second half and West Brom's fourth of the night just after the hour mark.
The match started with 11th facing 12th but now Tony Pulis's side are up with the big boys of the top flight in ninth.
Here are five things we learned on Monday night.
1. Clarets got their tactics all wrong
Usually the Clarets are a compact, organised counter-attacking machine.
Sure, they struggle to score, but they know how to defend.
Today, Tony Pulis’s side completely bamboozled their opponents by simply letting them have the ball. The Clarets were their own worst enemies as they failed to break down West Brom’s defence while leaving themselves helplessly exposed to the counter-attack time and time again.
It was from just such a move that James Morrison scored West Brom’s second, the passage of play that ended with him firing low past Tom Heaton starting with Chris Brunt picking up the ball in his own half after a turnover in possession.
2. Rondon is a powerhouse with presence
Salomon Rondon proved West Brom can be lethal in attack even without Saido Berahino.
The Baggies have struggled in front of goal at home this season and their fans could be forgiven for not expecting them to match that feat.
But in Salomon Rondon they have a powerful striker with real presence, who has the strength to hold up the ball, the technique to pick out a team-mate and the pace to chase down even a seemingly lost cause.
He was imperious in the first half, allowing Morrison and Phillips to shine with his hold-up play and, but for a finger-tip save by Heaton, would have scored before the break.
With 64 minutes on the clock, he finally got the goal that his performance so richly deserved.
3. Clarets’ woes on the road continue
Before the game, both sides knew they could reach the top half of the table with a win.
Burnley had every right to be confident after beating Everton at Turf Moor and picking up their first point on the road at Old Trafford.
Sean Dyche called for another improved performance tonight, but he got the opposite.
The Clarets may still be happy with their current league position - but they need to go back to basics if they’re to turn around their away form and steer clear of the relegation battle come May.
4. And they absolutely hate the Hawthorns
This fixture is turning into a nightmare for Sean Dyche's side.
Last year it was a 4-0 defeat by a side hardly known for banging in goals at will.
But it's hardly a newfound chink in their armour - Burnley haven't won at this ground since December 1969.
They've lost eight of their last nine matches there and would have been hoping to take something from a match like this if they expect to remain at the heady heights of mid-table by the end of the season.
5. Berahino missing but not missed
Berahino scored twice in this fixture last season but he certainly wasn't missed tonight.
The talented but troubled striker has more to worry about than his side getting into the top half of the table after returning to a French conditioning camp having opened up about the most difficult year of his career.
For football fans and, perhaps ambitiously England supporters, a firing Berahino can't be a bad thing but this is a player who needs to get himself sorted.
Let's hope his chats with Pulis and time away help him find what he's looking for but being in a position to try and force a move to the likes of Tottenham couldn't feel further away.
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