Josh Maja impresses with MOTM performance – West Brom player ratings v QPR
West Brom opened the 2024/25 Championship campaign with a thrilling 3-1 victory against QPR on Saturday (10 August).
The Hoops took an early lead through Lucas Anderson, arriving late into the box with a smart header before the Baggies turned on the style and took all three points back to The Hawthorns.
Josh Maja bettered his Championship goal tally last season with an impressive hat-trick, with Torbjoern Lysaker Heggem and Tom Fellows producing pin-point crosses for the lone striker.
West Brom News rated the players out of 10;
Alex Palmer – 6
There was little the goalkeeper could do to keep out QPR’s opener, made multiple important saves throughout the match. A calm presence behind the backline.
Darnell Furlong – 6
Looks to be just as important for the Baggies as he was last season, making the right-back spot his own and keeping Rayan Kolli and Alfie Lloyd extremely quiet.
Kyle Bartley – 4
Caught out at the back a few times, needing to be covered by quicker full-backs. The lack of defensive reinforcements could be a concern if Bartley continues to be caught out.
Semi Ajayi – 6
Dominant figure in the air for the Baggies. Made several clearances and looked assured in defence. Calmness on the ball helped Carlos Corberan’s men to keep possession for long periods of time.
Torbjoern Lysaker Heggem (Off for Gianluca Frabotta 85′) – 8
Fantastic assist for the opening goal. Still growing into life in England, having given the ball away on a couple of occasions but looked defensively sound. Great covering to deny Anderson a brace.
Alex Mowatt – 8
Helped control the match completely against the Hoops. Had very few players wriggle past him in the middle of the park, spreading passes out to the flanks for crosses to be whipped into Maja.
Jayson Molumby (Off for Ousmane Diakite 76′) – 5
Always difficult to look good when Mowatt has such a positive performance in midfield. Lacked some dynamism in the middle but that is to be expected after missing much of last season.
Are West Brom still missing Brandon Thomas-Asante?
John Swift – 6
A natural leader in midfield but failed to have a telling impact on the game, despite several decent crosses into the QPR penalty area. Allowed players around him to thrive.
Tom Fellows (Off for Lewis Dobbin 80′) – 7
Some uncertainty over Fellows’ future coming into the new campaign. Performance will see his price tag shoot upwards, which is a huge positive if West Brom are to cash in before the transfer window closes.
Karlan Grant – 5
Very sloppy opening 45 minutes. Grew into the game, with a much better second-half performance but the final ball continued to lack for the Baggies.
Josh Maja (Off for Devante Cole 76′) – 10
An incredible performance after the disappointing loss of Brandon Thomas-Asante. Very lucky with his third goal but was in the right place at the right time to fire home. Incredible.
Substitutions
Devante Cole (On for Maja 76′) – N/A
Ousmane Diakite (On for Molumby 76′) – N/A
Lewis Dobbin (On for Fellows 80′) – N/A
Gianluca Frabotta (On for Heggem 85′) – N/A
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