Alex Mowatt stars in 9/10 display, one scores 5/10 – West Brom player ratings v Portsmouth
West Brom have gone top of the Championship as they secured their third victory in a row with a 3-0 win against Portsmouth.
The Baggies started Sunday’s (15 September) game in dream fashion as Tom Fellows latched on to a long throw to find Josh Maja free inside the penalty area to drive home the opener inside 70 seconds.
Carlos Corberan’s side doubled their lead just six minutes into the second half as Alex Mowatt curled a perfect strike into the top corner.
The midfielder doubled his tally with a superb free kick late on to secure all three points and send the Albion top of the Championship.
West Brom News rates the performance of each player out of 10.
Alex Palmer – 5
The Albion keeper had very little to do as the home side managed to have a single shot on target. He was useful with the ball at his feet and kept the ball ticking over when afforded a touch of the ball, although he was involved in a shaky moment during the first half.
Darnell Furlong – 7
The right-back’s quick thinking played a key role for the opener as he picked out fellows in behind with a throw-in. The 28-year-old created one other chance and can also be pleased with his defensive showing, contributing to a clean sheet at Fratton Park.
Semi Ajayi – 7
A typically positive showing from the 30-year-old but he will be disappointed to have picked up a booking in the opening 45 minutes.
Kyle Bartley – 7
Like his centre back partner, Bartley just maintained a solid performance, limiting the Portsmouth attackers to very limited attacking opportunities.
Torbjoern Heggem – 7
The Norweigan showed his quality once again with an excellent defensive showing against Pompey. Going forward he was positive despite failing to create a chance for his teammates.
Jayson Molumby – 6
With Corberan’s side having the better of the chances, Molumby didn’t have much to do defensively which saw him taken off with 23 minutes to go. The Republic of Ireland international will be frustrated not to have won a single duel but it didn’t have a negative impact on the performance.
Tom Fellows and Alex Mowatt shine once again for West Brom v Portsmouth
Alex Mowatt – 9
The 29-year-old grabbed his first goal of the season with a sublime curling effort which left Will Norris with no chance. His strike ultimately killed the game off before he doubled his tally with a superb free kick to take all three points and cap off an excellent performance.
John Swift – 7
An astute midfield performance once again from Swift saw him keep the Baggies ticking while also putting in a positive defensive showing. There was a lot to like about his performance which only would have been capped off with a goal or an assist.
Tom Fellows – 8
The newly capped England under 21 international has returned to club football with ease, picking up yet another assist in less than a minute at Fratton Park. Another top performance from the 21-year-old who showed even further positive signs of the season to come.
Karlan Grant – 6
Grant has started the campaign in top form and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet against Pompey. He cut inside and rifled one towards goal but couldn’t convert past Norris. If he can add consistent goals and assists to his game then the forward will become an even bigger problem for opposition defences.
Josh Maja – 8
The Baggies striker seems inevitable at the moment. Maja slammed home his fifth goal of the season within 60 seconds and came so close to another before the halftime whistle. The 25-year-old was taken off with ten minutes to go as Corberan looked to see out the game. Another top showing from the Nigerian.
Substitutes
Grady Diangana – 5
Uros Racic – 6
Jed Wallace – 5
Mikey Johnston – 5
Lewis Dobbin – 5