Josh Maja proves worth, Danny Imray baffles – West Brom player ratings vs Norwich
West Brom fell to a 3-1 defeat away to Norwich on Saturday.
Eric Ramsay has struggled to find any kind of form with West Brom in the Championship, and the lack of relegation pressure in the FA Cup left many thinking it could lead to a much-improved showing.
That wasn’t to be the case, especially in the first 45.
Norwich dominated the first half at Carrow Road and took the lead after 31 minutes through Paris Maghoma, with his header finding the top corner after an eighth corner.
Albion struck back through Josh Maja in the second half after a neat through ball from Ousmane Diakite, and this time he was onside, having already had two goals ruled out for offside earlier.
Norwich took the lead again 14 minutes through Ben Chrisene, before adding another through Mohamed Toure in added time, and that was enough to secure their spot in the next round of the FA Cup.
Josh Maja rescue attempts fall short for Albion at Carrow Road
Maja is a frustrating player in the sense that when he isn’t scoring goals, his impact is largely anonymous, and that has been the case on many occasions this season.
However, most of that has been down to a lack of service.
While two of the three times he found the back of the net, he was offside, he showcased the danger he can pose in the penalty area when the Baggies get the ball up there.
It was third time lucky for the 27-year-old, who levelled the game with a delightful dink over Daniel Grimshaw after an even better through ball from Diakite.
Maja should have done better with a late chance in the game, but he showed that he will be a threat if the ball gets to him.
- Read more: Danny Imray labelled ‘worst signing of window’ after what happened in West Brom vs Norwich City
Why did West Brom sign Danny Imray?
Not only did they sign him, but it seemed as though Danny Imray was a priority for West Brom in the winter, and based on his performances so far, that’s beyond baffling.
The Palace loanee looked miles off the required level against the Canaries, not just going forward, but also defensively.
While things improved slightly for him in the second half, his lack of impact in the first half says a lot about the standard he is currently at.
The 22-year-old was dribbled past far too easily on three occasions, lost five defensive duels and completed just 73 per cent of his attempted passes.
And was caught out of position for Norwich’s second goal to top off what was another poor performance.
West Brom player ratings
Josh Griffiths – 6 (for O’Leary 45′)
Danny Imray – 3
Krystian Bielik – 6 (for Molumby 78′)
Charlie Taylor – 5
Alfie Gilchrist – 5
Mikey Johnston – 5
Harry Whitwell – 4
Ousmane Diakite – 6
Oliver Bostock – 5
Hindolo Mustapha – 6 (for Mowatt 45′)
Josh Maja – 7
Subs
Max O’Leary – 6 (for Griffiths 45′)
Alex Mowatt 6 – (for Mustapha 45′)
Isaac Price – 5 (for Whitwell 73′)
Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba – 5 (for Bostock 73′)
Jayson Molumby – N/A (for Bielik 78′)
For more West Brom analysis, head over to Football Insider for the latest news