Chris Mepham and West Brom teammate rightly lauded in new announcement
West Bromwich Albion were resilient in their 1-0 victory against Norwich City at Carrow Road.
A Josh Maja strike in the first half gave the visitors all three points as they leapt into the play-off places.
West Brom face Millwall next, and Ryan Mason will hope to continue their promotion charge as the Baggies sit four points off the top spot.
But after the victory in East Anglia, two West Brom players were credited for their superb work in defence as they battled hard for all three points.
Chris Mepham and Josh Griffiths singled out by the Championship
In West Brom’s victory over Norwich, the visitors opted to sit deep and soak up pressure after snatching the winning goal in the 20th minute.
Chris Mepham and Josh Griffiths were credited for their performances at the back and were pivotal in getting over the line with a win.
The pair were named in the Championship’s Team of the Week as the centre back registered a rating of 8.0, and the goalkeeper achieved a rating of 7.6
Griffiths proved his worth for West Brom as the 24-year-old has been handed the responsibility of being the Baggies’ main man in between the sticks.
Mepham featured heavily for Sunderland last season as the Black Cats won promotion to the Premier League, before making a move to the Midlands in the summer.
West Brom can build their promotion charge from defence
Although West Brom do boast attacking flair, with Samuel Iling-Junior notably receiving praise for his work against Norwich, they demonstrated their ability to win ugly in their victory in East Anglia.
Mason’s side had fewer shots and less possession than their opponents, but after a gladiatorial effort in defence, they sent their travelling supporters home happy.
| Club | Possession | Shots | Shots on target |
| West Brom | 40 | 5 | 1 |
| Norwich | 60 | 16 | 5 |
West Brom’s only shot on target was Maja’s winning goal, whereas Norwich continually peppered the visiting defence, which led to Mepham and Griffiths receiving credit for their performances.
The 2024-25 Championship season highlighted two clubs that both achieved promotion but in differing ways.
Leeds United were the entertainers and blew teams away with their attack, whereas Burnley relied on a solid defence and prevented many teams from finding the back of the net.
If West Brom are to stay in contention for promotion, they will have to show aspects of both entertaining attacking football and rigid defensive football, if they are to compete this season.
Wednesday’s result showed positive signs that the Baggies can soak up pressure and win in tough conditions.
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