Joe Ellis

Mon 8 August 2022 21:58, UK

West Brom were held to another 1-1 draw at home to Watford as a spirited Hornets side denied the dominant Baggies in the Midlands.

Ismaila Sarr stunned the entirety of The Hawthorns and probably himself after 11 minutes as he turned inside his own half to spot David Button off his line before rifling a shot all the way into the back of the Baggies net.

Karlan Grant was in no mood to allow that to be the winner though as he latched onto a superb Grady Diangana pass to fire in Albion’s equaliser on the stroke of halftime.

West Brom kept their foot on the throttle throughout and looked the most likely to find a winner until Semi Ajayi brought down Sarr in the area but the Senegalese international squandered the chance.

David Button – 5

He will have been left with egg on his face after Sarr’s stunning halfway line goal which no one saw coming and Steve Bruce will be asking some serious questions of his supposed number one. He redeemed himself in the second half though with a penalty save that anyone in the ground could have made from Sarr.

Darnell Furlong – 4

How is this man still a Championship starter every single week? Bruce talked over the summer about trying to sign a right-back but he has not got one and that has left Furlong uncontested again and continuing to be Albion’s weak link on a regular basis.

Dara O’Shea – 6

Solid is the word for the Irishman. As per usual, O’Shea did very little wrong and you hardly noticed he was on the pitch which is exactly what you want from your central defender. He and Ajayi have to be the duo for the rest of the season because Kyle Bartley is not on this level.

Semi Ajayi – 6

The Nigerian is such a difficult defender to get past because he is just so physical and Watford found it tough tonight. But they got one chance to do so and they made the most of it as Ajayi brought down Sarr for a second-half penalty that he embarrassingly squandered.

Conor Townsend – 6

Despite all of the talk about Watford’s wing-backs, Townsend was rarely challenged on the left-hand side of the Baggies’ back four

Jake Livermore – 7

The skipper commanded the midfield of the Hornets and looked back to something near his very best. He could do with Okay Yokuslu alongside him soon to give that extra solidity to go and affect the game further up the field and add goals and assists to his name.

Jayson Molumby – 6

Molumby was nothing more than alright against a Watford midfield that didn’t offer much of a challenge with the Hornets utilising width more often. He is a decent payer to have in the squad but once Yokuslu is fit, he’ll be back to the bench.

Grady Diangana – 6

The best word to describe Diangana is glimpses. You can see that there is a player there who can light up any game and create that magic moment and he proved it with a delightful pass to set up the equaliser but it never seems to come bursting through on a consistent basis and West Brom can’t wait forever.

John Swift – 6

Swift is yet to hit that scintillating stride that saw him single-handedly carry Reading to safety last season despite his goal away at Middlesborough. It wasn’t his worst ever performance but there was no moment of genius that so many have come accustomed to from him.

Jed Wallace – 7

This is the best signing West Brom have made all summer and with Dike up front, the goals will start to flow for the Baggies. Wallace’s incredible crossing ability created a lot of good chances for Albion but no one could get on the end of anything which denied him the assist he deserved.

Karlan Grant – 6

Grant got plenty of chances to find the net but carrying on the trend of the 2021-22 campaign, he could not put any of them away… until he did. His equaliser was exquisite but how good could he be if he took his first or second chance rather than number four or five?

Substitutes:

Okay Yokuslu (on for Livermore 78′) – 5

Adam Reach (on for Diangana 88′) – N/A

Matt Phillips (on for Furlong 90+1′) – N/A

In other West Brom news, it could be a title-challenging season for the Baggies with Bruce’s experience unrivalled anywhere in English football.

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