Callum O'Connell

Sun 28 January 2024 14:14, UK

West Brom battled to a frustrating 2-0 defeat in the Black Country derby in the FA Cup Fourth Round clash at The Hawthorns to put an end to their cup run courtesy of a goal from Pedro Neto.

Pedro Neto gave the visitors the lead which was all West Brom’s own making as a convoluted corner routine saw the ball intercepted and Albion caught out on the counter-attack shortly before half-time.

It was more of the same in the second half with Wolves dominating the ball and Albion looking to threaten on the counter, which saw Cunha find a second goal when played through. Ultimately a frustrating outcome at 2-0, where none of the players played badly at all, but just lacked that cutting-edge.

The game was quickly thrown into question after fans piled onto the pitch following the goal from Cunha, but players were able to return to the pitch after a short postponement and see out the game.

West Brom News has rated the players’ performances out of 10 below…

Joshua Griffiths – 5

Not a lot he could have done for the goal given he was wrong-footed by the reverse finish into the corner and left one-on-one for the second goal it was always a hard ask to prevent the goal. It was a difficult game to be thrown into but he dealt well with balls into the box, using his height and frame well.

Made a very impressive save late on to prevent the scoreline widening further.

Darnell Furlong – 4

Got up and down the pitch well and performed his defensive duties despite being asked to push forward more. Matheus Cunha’s presence down his side made for a difficult day but he coped fairly well with his Premier League opponent when on that side.

Lost both ground duels he competed in and recorded just a 59% passing accuracy as he was far from assured in possession, causing many of his own problems. [Sofascore]

Kyle Bartley – 3

Arguably lucky not to be sent off as he appeared to use his elbow in a block on Cunha, but overall had a solid game at the back, and it was ultimately his defending that cost them the game as he was caught out by his Portuguese opponent when trying to step up.

For a defender with his experience to be caught out by a long ball over the top, having lost his man completely, will be incredibly frustrating to his boss and the Albion fans.

Cedric Kipre – 7

His passing out from the back and bravery to bring the ball and step into the midfield was excellent throughout. It was another in a string of very impressive performances by the defender who has stepped up brilliantly this season, and in the absence of Semi Ajayi.

Okay Yokuslu – 7

Played in a slightly different role, stepping between midfield and defence when required. Looked to be playing in a back three without the ball and stepping forward in possession, and coped with it well.

Conor Townsend – 5

Provided an attacking threat down the left-hand side with his overlapping runs, but that meant he was often left forward while counter-attacks came down his side. Would be harsh to blame him alone for the opening goal but he should have been tighter to his man before he allowed him to cut inside.

Nathaniel Chalobah – 7

Most of the Baggies’ play in midfield seemed to go through him, linking defence to attack and providing a springboard for counter-attacks by feeding the ball forward to the creative players. A solid and stable game, but nothing groundbreaking before coming off for Tom Fellows in the 67th minute.

Alex Mowatt – 6

Was comfortable in possession helping to slow the game down in the middle, but never showed much intensity to get forward and make things happen, despite a few hopeful crosses into the box which failed to find their men, recording a 0 per cent cross success rate. [Sofascore]

Jed Wallace – 8

By far Albion’s best and most dangerous player, his constant movement and runs in behind, both out wide and through the middle, provided an outlet and a threat to the Wolves back line throughout the game. His crosses were the main source of chances for Carlos Coberan’s side.

John Swift – 7

Was unlucky not to make the tackle stick for the opening goal, but had to be stronger in the challenge and make sure he made it.

As comfortable on the ball as ever given the lack of possession his side had, but failed to really affect the game in the way he would have wanted to in terms of providing chances, assists and goals.

Brandon Thomas-Asante – 6

Saw very little of the ball given Albion’s lack of possession, but his work rate and constant running to put the Wolves defence under pressure was a feature of the way Corberan set up the team. He’d have liked more chances to fall for him but did his best with what little time he had in possession.

Subs

Tom Fellows – 7

Caleb Taylor – 6

Erik Pieters – 6

Pipa – 5

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