West Brom player ratings v Sunderland: Darnell Furlong shines as teammate scores shocking 1/10
West Brom were beaten 1-0 by Sunderland at The Hawthorns on Saturday after going down to 10 men just before half-time when Brandon Thomas-Asante was sent off.
Thomas-Asante picked up two bookings in two minutes and left his side short in the 44th minute and Sunderland capitalised, with Pierre Ekwah turning home following a corner in first-half stoppage time.
Albion’s defeat brings an end to their 10-match unbeaten run in the Championship and sees them now just seven points clear of seventh-placed Hull City, who also have a game in hand.
Below, West Brom News has rated every player out of 10.
Alex Palmer – 5
The goalkeeper had little to do beyond picking the ball out of his net. He made two saves [FotMob] and played his part in deep build-up but there were no outstanding moments of note.
Darnell Furlong – 7 (MOTM)
West Brom’s most impressive performer on the day. He produced a shot with an xGOT (expected goal on target) of 0.44 from a position which was valued at an xG of just 0.01, completed all three of his dribbles and generally offered an attacking threat from full-back, while there was little to fault about his defensive display.
Kyle Bartley – 5 (Off for Semi Ajayi ’46)
Failed to win a tackle or a duel in the first half before being hooked at the break. Was tidy enough in possession but clearly did not do enough to convince Carlos Corberan.
Cedric Kipre – 6
A reasonably assured display from the central defender, particularly on the ball. He connected with 60 of his 64 passes and took 71 touches, playing his part in West Brom’s quest to control the game.
Conor Townsend – 6 (Off for Matt Phillips ’67)
The left-back completed all 23 of his passes and all four of his ground duels in a solid display before being replaced. His substitution was more about Corberan getting an extra forward on than anything the 31-year-old has done poorly.
Nathaniel Chalobah – 5 (Off for Adam Reach ’46)
Put himself about defensively and had a speculative shot from distance but failed to impact the game on the ball as much as he would have liked. Was hooked at half-time along with Bartley.
Alex Mowatt – 6
Produced a stronger performance in midfield than his starting partner, with a 93 per cent pass completion rate, 79 touches and two tackles won out of two.
Tom Fellows – 5
The young winger struggled to affect the game and toiled to no avail for almost the entirety of the contest. He managed to create one chance but was otherwise kept at bay.
Grady Diangana – 5 (Off for Jed Wallace ’61)
A quieter-than-usual outing for Diangana, who struggled to impose himself on Sunderland with the ball. He succeeded with just one of his four dribbles and registered just 27 touches. Concerningly was forced off just after the hour mark with an injury.
Mikey Johnston – 5 (Off for John Swift ’62)
Like Fellows on the opposite flank, the 24-year-old loanee was largely ineffective, particularly after having to lead the line when West Brom went down to 10 men.
Brandon Thomas-Asante has game to forget
Brandon Thomas-Asante – 1
Had absolutely no impact on the game before his reckless sending-off for two yellow cards within two minutes of each other. Was barely involved, losing four of his five ground duels and both aerial duels, while taking just one shot with an xG of 0.03. A game to forget for the striker.
Substitutes:
Semi Ajayi (On for Kyle Bartley ’46) – 6
Was much steadier than Bartley when he came on and helped to settle the defence, which kept a clean sheet in the second half.
Adam Reach (On for Nathaniel Chalobah ’46) – 5
Failed to make any meaningful impact off the bench after his stellar display against Rotherham.
Jed Wallace (On for Grady Diangana ’61) – 4
Was a peripheral figure after coming on, taking just five touches. His presence was barely noticeable.
John Swift (On for Mikey Johnston ’62) – 5
Did his best to look for balls into dangerous areas but experienced similar struggles to his attacking colleagues.
Matt Phillips (On for Conor Townsend ’67) – 5
Almost as peripheral as Wallace after coming on. Despite being an extra body in attack he failed to turn the tide.
In other West Brom news, an ex-FIFA official has slammed a controversial Albion decision against Rotherham United.
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