‘Menace’ – Exclusive: Phillips applauds one West Brom player who was ‘Back to his best’ v Derby
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Kevin Phillips has been singing the praises of West Brom loan star Grady Diangana for his display in the 2-0 win against Derby on Wednesday night.
Diangana, 22, scored his second goal in as many games to put Albion ahead early on at The Hawthorns before Dara O’Shea’s second-half header rounded off a huge win for Slaven Bilic’s side.
England Under-21 international Diangana has struggled with injuries for most of 2020 but finally looked like his usual, sharp self against Derby on Wednesday.
Ex-Baggies striker Phillips was delighted with what he saw from the on-loan winger, saying that he terrorised Derby’s defence during his time on the pitch.
“He was back to his best last night,” Phillips told West Brom News.
“He showed what a great talent he is. Not just the way he took his goal but his all-round play, he was a menace most of the night.
“It always takes time when you’ve been out for a while but it doesn’t take long for a quality player to get back to his best and I would say he was one of the big differences last night.
“They had to soak up a bit of pressure but never really looked in danger. Derby had no shots on target.
“But West Brom always look a threat. They’ve got Pereira on the pitch, Grosicki did well and, obviously, Diangana.”
Diangana was sublime against Derby.
It was such a shame that his game got cut short early in the second half because he probably would have got another goal if he could finish the game.
It remains to be seen if Diangana plays a role against Blackburn this weekend after being taken off but we really hope he does because, as Phillips said, he was back to his best on Wednesday.
In other West Brom news, Albion could be invited to play for silverware at Wembley next month.
Be sure to follow West Brom News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Baggies and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Phillips.