4/10 regular lets Carlos Corberan down, 7/10 stands out – West Brom player ratings v Stoke City
West Brom were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Stoke City in Sunday’s (17 December) Championship clash.
Brandon Thomas-Asante brilliantly equalised for the Baggies in the first half after Lynden Gooch had given the visitors the lead from what appeared to be a cross.
The Baggies looked the more likely to find a winner in the second half at The Hawthorns, but they could not find a way past Stoke goalkeeper Jack Bonham for a second time.
West Brom News rates each Albion player out of 10 for their performances against Stoke, using stats from WhoScored and Sofascore.
Alex Palmer – 4
May have conceded, but did not technically have a save to make as Gooch’s attempt was a cross. The big question is whether Palmer could have done better to keep it out, and unfortunately the answer to that is a solid ‘yes’.
Darnell Furlong – 7
Registered an impressive six clearances – a joint-high along with Townsend – while he was the only home player to also record a tackle, interception and block a shot. Also got forward down the right, registering one attempt.
Kyle Bartley – 6
Thought he had won the game for Albion late on, but he was well offside and the officials rightly ruled it out. He was otherwise the quietest of Albion’s defenders, which can be considered a positive or a negative, though a first-half yellow card for a challenge on Ryan Mmaee left him walking a bit of a tightrope.
Cedric Kipre – 6
A very assured presence on the ball, registering a 92.5% pass-completion rate, while he also got his head on pretty much every ball that came into the box. Will perhaps be disappointed not to have put his head to good use at the other end when a chance fell his way.
Conor Townsend – 6
Like Furlong, he did the defensive side of the game well enough on the whole. Also played a huge part in Thomas-Asante’s equaliser by refusing the give up on the ball, which ultimately ended with it in the back of the net.
Okay Yokuslu – 6
Did well to keep play ticking over nicely with a pass accuracy of 97.7%, which is the best return of any Albion starter. Perhaps could have taken more control of the game, though, with Albion in the ascendency in the second half put not applying enough pressure.
Alex Mowatt – 6 (Off for Jayson Molumby 77′)
Another Albion midfielder who did not necessarily perform badly but did not have a stormer, either. Was nice and assured in central midfield, but Corberan perhaps could have done with a player who could force the issue in that department.
Grady Diangana – 4 (Off for Tom Fellows 72′)
Could not get a foot hold on the game as he failed to register a single shot and was taken off with 20 minutes to go. The DR Congo international recorded a couple of key passes, but he was always more on the periphery rather than being heavily involved.
Jed Wallace – 5
Handed a first start since returning from injury, but was unable to make a telling difference like he did with his goal from the bench against Rotherham United. Had a couple of promising moments, namely when going close through a deflected shot, but did not quite happen for him.
Jeremy Sarmiento – 5 (Off for Pipa 77′)
Got a superb shot on target in the first half – one of a game-high five attempts he mustered – but it was ultimately a frustrating day for the winger. As Andy Hinchcliffe pointed out on Sky Sports commentary [17 December, 13:35pm], he was often guilty of taking the wrong choice.
Brandon Thomas-Asante – 6
Had endured a frustrating time of things right up until the moment he fired home a delightful equaliser. It was a goal described as “outstanding” by Andy Hinchcliffe, albeit that proving to be his only meaningful impact on the game as he registered just 17 touches – 24 fewer than any other outfield starter for Albion. Should have done better to score a late chance that fell his way.
Substitutes
Tom Fellows (on for Grady Diangana 72′) – 6
Will perhaps feel he should have been turned to a little earlier in the half. Had one very promising moment in particular, but he showed too much of the ball to Michael Rose and a covering tackle was made before the Albion substitute could get a shot away.
Pipa (on for Jeremy Sarmiento 77′) – N/A
Jayson Molumby (on for Alex Mowatt 87′) – N/A
In other West Brom news, Sky Sports pundit Andy Hinchcliffe was blown away by the actions of an Albion player.