West Brom player ratings v Oxford United: Karlan Grant shines in 1-1 draw
West Brom dropped two points in second-half stoppage time with a late 1-1 draw against Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday (19 October).
Albion were dominant in possession throughout and saw several half-chances go amiss early on, before Karlan Grant slammed a superb finish into the bottom-left corner from 25 yards to make it 1-0.
Oxford did put more pressure on the Baggies in their chase to level things up, and having looked unlike scoring right until the death, Dane Scarlett popped up from a long throw to head in the hosts’ equaliser as the winless streak for Carlos Corberan’s side extends to four matches.
West Brom News rates the performance of each player out of 10.
Alex Palmer – 5
Forced into two early stops as Oxford opened Albion up on the transition, first to deny Harris and then to collect a bobbling effort from a corner. Called back into action early in the second period, claiming a ball over the top before Ruben Rodrigues could get there, but was left rooted to the spot as Scarlett headed into the far corner late on.
Darnell Furlong – 6
Drove forward down the right-hand side and tried his luck from 20 yards, but could only drag the shot wide of the far post. A poor challenge on Dembele gave Oxford a cheap free-kick which sparked a chance late in the first half. Survived a handball claim after clumsily dealing with a corner at the far post, but then was in the right place to deal with an Oxford counter-attack.
Semi Ajayi – 5
Beaten all too easily by Mark Harris following a ball over the top, but saw his blushes spared by Palmer. He and Bartley were solid for swathes of the match, but the Nigerian was beaten in the air by the flick-on which led to Scarlett’s last-gasp equaliser.
Kyle Bartley – 6
Stepped in to aid Heggem’s cause in the aftermath of Grant’s opener, putting the ball behind for a corner which saw Ciaron Brown head Oxford’s best chance wide. Bartley headed wide himself late in the first half, missing the chance to double Albion’s lead, but then slid in to cut out a dangerous Oxford counter-attack in the second.
Torbjorn Heggem – 6
Near-post flicked header from an Albion corner almost yielded the opener early on, but Heggem could only find the top of the net. The left-back was given more freedom as the game opened up in the second half, winning a corner after his cross was blocked behind, but Heggem was the man beaten in the air by Scarlett to undo all of Albion’s good work.
Uros Racic (off for Jayson Molumby, 83′) – 7
Did superbly to step in and win possession for Albion, before laying the ball on for Grant to slam home from 25 yards and make it 1-0. Called into defensive action to dispossess Siriki Dembele deep in his box, either side of two attempted half-volleys from 25 yards were blocked and put wide respectively. Withdrawn late on, but arguably his best game in an Albion shirt.
Karlan Grant rebirth continues despite West Brom draw v Oxford
Alex Mowatt – 5
Superb deliveries as ever from set-pieces, putting one right on Heggem’s head at the near post. Helped out on set-piece duty at the other end, blocking Tyler Goodrham’s shot. A rare lapse in concentration saw him lose the ball and then drag Dane Scarlett back, earning Mowatt a textbook yellow card.
Tom Fellows (off for Jed Wallace, 70′) – 6
Quick feet early on from the Albion winger, who beat his marker down the right before floating a cross into Cumming’s gloves. Fellows was given shooting space in the box after Diangana’s quick feet but lost the ball before he could pull the trigger in a move which marked a quieter performance from the youngster.
Grady Diangana (off for John Swift, 70′) – 5
Buzzing around the final third constantly and heavily involved in the build-up for Grant’s opener, but then spurned a shooting chance of his own after Maja’s dummy. A lacklustre pass across his defensive line almost opened the door for Oxford in the second half, and Diangana was withdrawn soon afterwards.
Karlan Grant – 8
Back in the starting side, and back in the goals for Corberan’s side, being given acres of space to execute a sensational 25-yard finish into the bottom-left corner. Tested Cumming again with a cross from the left which forced a save from the goalkeeper, and once more after cutting inside off the flank. Venomous second-half strike from a corner was on-target before being blocked behind.
Josh Maja (off for Mikey Johnston, 83′) – 7
Dropped deep to link up with his midfield support in the final third, as well as with the likes of Grant out wide. A superb dummy from Grant’s pass played in Diangana, and though the chance came to nothing, Maja’s fantastic link-up play continued throughout, having few chances but being a constant threat up front before being taken off late.
Substitutions:
John Swift (on for Grady Diangana, 70′) – 6 – Helped to keep possession ticking over in midfield as Albion controlled the latter stages, and was given the green light to continue after a big collision with Elliott Moore
Jed Wallace (on for Tom Fellows, 70′) – 4 – Had a brilliant chance to lay on an assist for 2-0, but his low ball from the right-hand side was cut out despite having several options to aim at.
Jayson Molumby (on for Uros Racic, 83′) – 5 – Thrown on late to help Albion see out the win, Molumby made a vital block in the box to deny Goodrham.
Mikey Johnston (on for Josh Maja, 83′) – 4 – Teed up in the box late on by Furlong, but his acute-angled shot was blocked and cleared.
In other West Brom news, Carlton Palmer has given his verdict on the latest Hawthorns developments involving Carlos Corberan.
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