Max O’Leary endures nightmare debut as 7/10 shines in draw – West Brom player ratings vs Derby
West Brom rescued a late point in a 1-1 draw with Derby on Friday evening.
Eric Ramsay’s horrendous start at West Brom looked set to continue, as his side struggled to create anything reduce the first-half deficit.
Patrick Agyemang notched the first goal of the contest at Pride Park on 23 January, which looked set send The Hawthorns outfit home without any points once again, for the third time under Ramsay.
However, Chris Mepham struck with a header in the 95th minute to secure a point for the Baggies.
Max O’Leary dismal as West Brom lose
Max O’Leary was confirmed as a West Brom player on Thursday, and he was thrown straight in between the sticks in place of Josh Griffiths.
However, his debut did not go to plan, as he flapped for a cross which ultimately led to Agyemang opening the scoring in the 44th minute.
That was a huge blow for the Baggies, who had shown promise in the first half, and arguably been the more dangerous side until that point.
O’Leary’s showing was a poor one, even despite the goal, as he made no saves, just one recovery and completed just seven of his 21 pass attempts, for a 33 per cent success rate.
| Stat | O’Leary |
| Errors leading to goal | 1 |
| Saves | 0 |
| Recoveries | 1 |
| Pass completion | 7/21 (33%) |
Ramsay will hope that his new number one can learn from the experience and move on quickly, but given his vast experience in the division, it was far from ideal.
Callum Styles stars despite West Brom defeat
Callum Styles has made the left back spot his own in the West Midlands in the past few seasons, and he put on an impressive display in this contest.
The Hungary international completed 90 per cent of his passes, and made three passes into the final third as he tried to make something happen.
Defensively, he made four clearances, four recoveries, and one tackle as he proved what he can bring to the side for Ramsay.
In terms of duels, he won all three that he attempted on the ground and only lost one of the four in the air, for 100 per cent and 75 per cent success rates respectively.
Ramsay needs players like Styles to keep stepping up and performing at the highest level, if they are to have any chance of staying in the division.
It is a shame that more Albion players could not have put in a display like Styles, they might have walked away with all three points then.
How West Brom players rated vs Derby County
Max O’Leary – 3
Krystian Bielik – 5 (off for Mepham, 74)
Nat Phillips – 5
George Campbell – 5
Isaac Price – 4
Callum Styles – 7 (off for Dike, 61)
Jayson Molumby – 6
Ousmane Diakite – 5
Mikey Johnston – 5 (off for Wallace, 61)
Karlan Grant – 5 (off for Iling-Junior, 8)
Aune Heggebo – 4 (off for Maja, 61)
Substitutes:
Samuel Iling-Junior – 5
Jed Wallace – 5
Daryl Dike – 5
Josh Maja – 5
Chris Mepham – 6
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