Jed Wallace goes missing in 4/10 shocker, Maja sparkles – West Brom player ratings v Luton Town
Jed Wallace was nowhere to be seen as West Brom and Luton Town played out an underwhelming 1-1 draw in the Championship at Kenilworth Road on Friday (1 November).
Josh Maja bagged his eighth goal of the season in style to give the Baggies the lead moments before half-time after an incredibly underwhelming first 45 minutes.
However, the 25-year-old’s strike was cancelled out when Tahith Chong latched on to a poor Alex Mowatt pass in midfield before driving forward and finishing superbly.
West Brom News has rated each player who took to the field at Kenilworth Road out of 10.
Alex Palmer – 6
Palmer was busy throughout the opening half an hour as he was forced into three saves. He could do little about Chong’s equaliser. However, he did very well 15 minutes later to come up with a fantastic save to deny Chong a second.
Darnell Furlong – 6
Dealt well with Luton’s attacking threat down his side apart from one shaky moment which saw him booked. He did put a dangerous ball into the box which led to the West Brom opener in first-half stoppage time.
Mason Holgate – 7
Looked relatively solid during the first half on what was his first West Brom start since returning to The Hawthorns. Didn’t put too much of a foot wrong in the second half either. However, he did become a bit more sloppy, giving a few fouls away higher up the pitch as the match went on.
Callum Styles – 5
Arguably the most suspect West Brom player defensively while he also offered very little going forward. Started the second half poorly as he was booked for a late challenge on Daiki Hashioka. In addition, he was perhaps lucky not to give away a penalty in the second half after the ball struck him on the arm. He did finish the match strongly, however.
Torbjørn Heggem impresses for West Brom against Luton Town
Torbjørn Heggem – 7
Just like Holgate, Heggem managed most of Luton’s attacking threat well, with the hosts not able to fashion many clear-cut openings during the first half. Couldn’t do much about the Luton equaliser. However, he was on hand to clear a dangerous Luton ball into the box in the 71st minute which might have ended up anywhere.
Alex Mowatt – 4
Mowatt was at fault for Luton Town’s equaliser, playing a poor pass to Furlong which allowed Chong to intercept and drive forward before finishing well. The 29-year-old struggled to show any real quality on the ball, a common theme among his West Brom teammates.
Uroš Račić (off for Jayson Molumby, 74′) – 5
Gave the ball away which allowed Luton Town to fashion an opportunity midway through the first half. Otherwise, he was relatively solid in the middle of the park defensively. However, just like Mowatt, he struggled to show much quality on the ball before being hooked by Carlos Corberan.
Grady Diangana (off for Devante Cole, 63′) – 4
It wasn’t until the 43rd minute that the Baggies had their first shot of the match, which arrived through Diangana. However, it was a rather underwhelming effort which summed up the 26-year-old’s night. Hardly saw a kick of the ball in the second half before being hooked for Cole.
Karlan Grant (off for John Swift, 85′) – 6
Aside from his ball across the box to Josh Maja which was turned home superbly, the 27-year-old offered very little attacking threat during an extremely lacklustre opening 45 minutes at Kenilworth Road. Started the second half on a brighter note as he demonstrated great desire, racing back to snuff out a Luton Town counterattack. He worked hard in the second half and was perhaps West Brom’s brightest attacking player as the forward continues to try and win over his supporters.
Jed Wallace nowhere to be seen for West Brom against Luton Town
Jed Wallace (off for Tom Fellows, 63′) – 4
Wallace hardly touched the ball throughout his time on the pitch with the 30-year-old nowhere to be seen. Finally got himself into a promising position just past the hour mark but couldn’t pick out a West Brom teammate with his cross before being hooked moments later.
Josh Maja (off for Mikey Johnston, 74′) – 6
Showed brilliant quality to open the scoring in first-half stoppage time and end his goalscoring drought. After a very lacklustre first half during which he hardly saw possession, Maja brought Furlong’s ball into the box under control expertly, played a pass to Grant before diverting his teammate’s cross back toward him goalward with a cheeky backheel through Jordan Clark’s legs. However, he didn’t offer much other than his goal.
Subsitutes
Tom Fellows (on for Jed Wallace, 63′) – 4
Hardly noticed he was on the pitch for the final half an hour.
Devante Cole (on for Grady Diangana, 63′) – 4
Was unlucky not to score late on with a sensational acrobatic attempt.
Jayson Molumby (on for Uroš Račić, 74′) – 4
Picked up where Račić left off after coming on.
Mikey Johnston (on for Josh Maja, 74′) – 4
Tried his luck with a shot from distance ten minutes from time. Also managed to win a corner and tee up Swift for a chance in the closing moments.
John Swift (on for Karlan Grant, 85′) – N/A
In other West Brom news, two players have been accused of going missing at The Hawthorns.
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