West Brom Player Ratings v Birmingham City
West Brom managed to seal a 1-0 win over Birmingham City on Friday night that moved them to the top of the table.
Lee Bowyer’s men arrived at the Hawthorns intent to frustrate and they managed to do that with Valerien Ismael’s side managing to create very little.
However, things changed when out of nothing Karlan Grant produced a moment of magic.
Here are the player ratings from a frustrating night at the Hawthorns.
Sam Johnstone – 6
He had very little to do.
Semi Ajayi – 6
He dealt with the long balls and physical stuff but was poor on the ball.
Kyle Bartley – 5
He carried the ball out from the back well and played a couple of fantastic long passes. However, he made a few silly fouls and gave the ball away cheaply. He also should have scored.
Matt Clarke – 7
Solid on his return to the West Brom lineup against two physical strikers. He won everything in the air and advanced forward but caught out on a few occasions.
Darnell Furlong – 5
He was barely involved going forward and had little to do defensively.
Jake Livermore – 6
Kept things neat and tidy throughout the match, and added an assist.
Alex Mowatt – 6
Not at his best, maybe not 100% fit and then taken off before the hour mark.
Conor Townsend – 8 (Man of the Match)
How much better is he at left-wing-back? Massive threat going forward and excellent in defence. One tackle on Chong in the first half was sublime. However, he should have scored.
Matt Phillips – 3
He really struggled to link-up play in the time he was on the pitch and failed to make any meaningful impact – a terrible display.
Karlan Grant – 7
Provided no threat until he popped up with the goal. It was a brilliant strike that surprised the goalkeeper.
Callum Robinson – 5
He came into this in brilliant form but was starved of service throughout until he was brought off at half-time.
Subs
Jordan Hugill – 6 (45)
He came on at half-time for Robinson and provided a focal point without actually threatening that much.
Jayson Molumby – 7 (61)
Brought on for Mowatt and added energy and drive that had been missing and saved Bartley in the second half.
Adam Reach – N/A (90)
In other West Brom news, Don Goodman discusses Lee Bowyer’s reaction to an incident during the game.
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