Harri Burton

Sun 28 January 2024 20:10, UK

West Brom were handed a tough pill to swallow as they were defeated 2-0 by rivals Wolves in the FA Cup Fourth Round amid some dangerous scenes at The Hawthorns.

Despite West Brom’s first-half dominance, it was Pedro Neto who broke on the counter-attack after a poor corner routine, beating Conor Townsend and blasting past Joshua Griffiths.

Matheus Cunha then doubled the visitors’ lead 12 minutes from time, breaking in behind the Baggies backline and slotting coolly under the goalkeeper.

The occasion was slightly overshadowed, with the match brought to a halt after the second goal when dangerous scenes broke out in the home end between the two sets of fans.

Here’s what West Brom News learned from the Black Country derby defeat.

There is such a thing as “too passionate”

Neutral fans from all over the UK were licking their lips at the idea of West Brom facing Wolves in a Black Country derby, just the third meeting since February 2012.

Even before the players had made their way out of the tunnel, the atmosphere was electric and the scene was set for a blockbuster meeting between the two Midlands clubs.

But the match and atmosphere were ruined when crowd trouble saw the game halted with 12 minutes left to play, following Cunha’s goal to make it 2-0.

It appeared that a few Wolves fans had bought tickets in the home end at The Hawthorns, although this is not confirmed, prompting a flair-up between the two sets of fans and people to fall onto the pitch. They were scary scenes, certainly not ones that should be happening in this day and age.

Mistake made with Joshua Griffiths

It would be harsh to blame the 22-year-old shot-stopper for Neto’s opener, having made just two appearances this season. His lack of minutes meant many fans were surprised to see Alex Palmer dropped from the starting XI, having started all 28 of West Brom’s Championship matches this season.

And it was Griffiths’ hesitation that allowed Cunha to double Wolves’ lead, a goal which eventually led to the match drawing to a halt because of crowd trouble. Instead of bursting off his line and clearing the danger, he stayed back in no man’s land and was beaten by an average finish.

Corberan will likely have no regrets, with his team performing to the best of their abilities against a strong Premier League side but he may display gritted teeth if asked about Griffiths.

Any established ‘keeper has no trouble dealing with the ball in behind. Griffiths, however, was visibly nervous about the situation and made the wrong decision.

The weight of the world on Thomas-Asante’s shoulders

Despite the forward’s best efforts, Thomas-Asante was mainly left to fend for himself against a tough Wolves backline. With the Baggies under the cosh, was dropping as far back as possible to get into the game, help his team up the pitch and win any free-kick possible.

The 25-year-old has been in fine form in the Championship this season, registering 10 goals and two assists in all competitions. This was not enough, however, for the striker to get on the scoresheet against Premier League outfit Wolves.

His main touches, of which he had 25 [FotMob], were from holding the ball up after a hit-and-hope from the Baggies defence, having been pinned into their own defensive third by Wolves. And when he was presented with his main opportunity to score, he blazed the ball over the bar from just outside the box.

A tough day at the office for Thomas-Asante.

In other West Brom news, a Baggies star has seemingly mocked a former teammate as West Ham complete a new signing.

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