ROY Hodgson claimed Stoke's late winner at The Hawthorns was galling on two fronts - Albion's poor defending and Mike Dean's decision to allow the goal to stand.
The head coach insisted the Baggies should have dealt with Jonathan Walters' high ball into the box in the 89th minute, which led to Ryan Shotton's decider.
But he also questioned Dean's decision to allow the effort to stand, after the sub appeared to attack the bouncing ball with his studs up and dislodge it from Ben Foster's grasp.
A third successive league defeat was rough on Hodgson's men, who had edged a tight encounter.
"To concede such a late goal was very galling, especially after seeing the replays," he said.
"We defended the high ball very, very badly but then I think the referee could have helped in the situation by giving a free-kick.
"Shotton's foot was very high and he was leading with his studs.
"If it had been a bouncing ball between two players in the middle of the field, I think it would have been a free-kick. So that's also galling.
"I'd have been happier maybe in some ways if I hadn't seen such a clear foul.
"That would have been galling enough because we defended very badly.
"But having seen a replay, I'm not very happy either that the goal has been allowed to stand.
"I spoke to the referee afterwards and he quite fairly said he didn't think it was a high foot, nor did he think their player was leading with his studs.
"But I'll allow you to watch the TV tonight and make up your own minds.
"I saw it as a foul. The referee didn't. It's as simple as that."
Gabriel Tamas decided against defending Walters' high ball, thinking that Foster was going to deal with it.
"Ben could've been braver and taken the studs in the chest," added Hodgson.
"Unfortunately, he decided to turn away from the studs and as a result we conceded the goal."
Hodgson thought a goalless draw, and Albion's first Barclays Premier League point of the season, was the very least his team deserved.
"We started the game very well but Stoke's good defending wore us down a little bit," he said.
"For me, we were comfortable at 0-0.
"I really didn't see us losing the game.
"You're always concerned about set-plays when you play Stoke but they barely had any today.
"We dealt with the threat they posed very well and caused them some problems.
"But our chances in the game began to wilt and it was heading towards a 0-0, which for us as a team that never seems to get a clean sheet wouldn't have been a disaster.
"But unfortunately in the 89th minute, it was taken away from us."
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