West Brom player ratings v Southampton: Grady Diangana in 3/10 shocker in playoff loss
West Brom and Carlos Corberan were knocked out of the Championship playoffs as they lost 3-1 to Southampton at St Mary’s.
The Baggies were well beaten by Russell Martin’s side on Friday (17 March) with goals from Will Smallbone and Adam Armstrong ensuring that Cedric Kipre’s stoppage-time header was little more than a consolation.
Albion had chances to claw their way back into the game on the south coast but were wasteful on the rare occasions they did break and could have no complaints as Southampton set up a Wembley final with Leeds United.
West Brom News have rated the players out of 10;
Alex Palmer – 5
The Baggies stopper took some risks in the first half with some fancy footwork but also made some good saves to get into the break level. While he would have been disappointed to have conceded three second-half goals, he could do very little to stop any of the home side’s efforts.
Darnell Furlong – 5
He would have thought he had levelled things up with his snapshot right-footed effort, but the fullback was denied by an excellent save from Alex McCarthy. He barely put a foot wrong out of possession, but the defender was unable to make a real impact going forward such was the home side’s dominance. Left Armstrong with too much room to slot in the home side’s second goal.
Kyle Bartley – 5
As he so often is, the centre-back was incredibly commanding and dominant at the back while carrying a threat from set-pieces, but he wasn’t able to make the difference in either box. He may be 32 but he has been so consistent when fit this season and couldn’t have done much more on Friday.
Cedric Kipre – 6
The centre-back was earmarked before kick-off by Neil Warnock as an inconsistent presence in the Albion side, but for most of the game, he was reasonably solid. Was fortunate to not give away a penalty in the second half for a heavy tackle on David Brooks as he appeared to go through the winger to get the ball but he won’t mind as it went unpunished. Managed to pick up a late consolation but that won’t matter to him.
Connor Townsend – 5
For much of the game, the experienced left-back defended well and barring a slightly controversial penalty shout in the first half he had an almost faultless game. Like most of his teammates, he didn’t do enough going forward and on another day his mistake would have been punished but he did reasonably well against Brooks.
Okay Yokuslu – 5
The Turkish midfielder only lasted for just over an hour and while he didn’t really put a foot wrong, he didn’t do much of note. The 30-year-old won most of his duels and kept it simple in possession but didn’t have the moment of magic to unlock the Saints’ backline that his side so desperately needed.
Alex Mowatt – 5
Mowatt simply had to score when a chance fell to him in the second half, but he could only pick out the head of Taylor Harwood-Bellis. However, the 29-year-old did everything he could to fashion a chance in possession and on another day he could have left the field with one or two assists had his teammate’s finishing been better. Not his night and it will be interesting to see where his future lies.
Tom Fellows – 6
Although officially a right-winger, the 20-year-old spent much of the game defending as he operated more like a wing-back. Fellows worked incredibly hard in and out of possession and grew into the game as an attacking presence as it rumbled on. Was unfortunate to concede a late penalty as Ryan Manning went down under little pressure. He didn’t deserve for that to go against him.
Grady Diangana – 3
Having missed a big chance in the first leg, the winger handed the Saints their place in the playoff final with an awful mistake in the second half. The 26-year-old picked out Smallbone under no pressure to gift the home side the lead. By trying to make up for it, he left the Irish international alone on the edge of the penalty area. That mistake couldn’t have come at a worse time and proved costly.
Will West Brom sign Mikey Johnston permanently from Celtic in the summer transfer window?
Mikey Johnston – 6
In what could be his final match in a West Brom shirt, the Celtic loanee didn’t manage to quite grab the game by the horns. The Irish international got into some good areas but was unable to find a teammate or take his chances when they were offered. He managed to pick up a late assist but that was his only real moment of quality.
Jed Wallace – 5
Preferred to Brandon Thomas-Asante in the starting XI and you would have been forgiven if you didn’t realise the skipper was playing. The 30-year-old barely touched the ball in the opening 45 minutes and struggled to impact the match when he did. It wasn’t his fault but Wallace was anonymous before he was withdrawn in the second half.
Substitutes:
Brandon Thomas-Asante – 6
Yann M’Vila – 5
John Swift – 6
Adam Reach – 6
Andi Weimann – n/a
In other West Brom news, Karlan Grant sent a new message to the Baggies ahead of their playoff campaign
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