Tony Brown wowed by one West Brom star vs Burnley, 'James Morrison will be delighted'

Tony 'Bomber' Brown loved what he saw from West Bromwich Albion in their victory over Burnley.

Given the fact Burnley are a newly-relegated side from the Premier League, many expected a tough and close game at The Hawthorns on Sunday.

In reality, West Brom were very good value for their 3-1 win, in what was yet another sign of the clear potential James Morrison's side has.

Sunday's win was the first time Albion have beaten the Clarets since August 2017, when a Hal Robson-Kanu goal earned a 1-0 win at Turf Moor in the Premier League.

Harry Whitwell and an Isaac Price double secured all three points for the Baggies.

However, it was neither of those two who caught Brown's eye in particular at the weekend.

Which West Brom midfielder 'stood out' to Tony Brown vs Burnley?

It was an afternoon where a number of West Brom players had strong claims to the man of the match award.

The aforementioned duo of Whitwell and Price had leading claims, with the former in particular putting in yet another hugely impressive display.

But, it was a performance that perhaps went somewhat under the radar to some, but not for Brown, who earned the Albion all-time leading scorer's praise.

Speaking on BBC Radio WM via BBC Sport, Brown picked out Ousmane Diakite's display as the one that really caught his attention.

"It's been a great team performance from West Bromwich Albion. The work rate and the tenacity..," he said.

"Ousmane Diakite has stood out for me and James Morrison will be delighted."

So, just how good were Diakite's underlying numbers from his Burnley performance?

Where did Diakite lead all players in West Brom vs Burnley?

Now entering his third season as a West Brom player, Diakite's time at The Hawthorns so far is probably best summarised as good, but not spectacular.

Spectacular, however, is exactly what he was on Sunday, and indeed, how his performances have been during the first three competitive games of the 2026-27 season.

As per FotMob, no player on the pitch between Albion and Burnley registered more defensive contributions than Diakite's nine.

Meanwhile, he registered a 90 per cent passing accuracy, put two shots on goal with one on target and was accurate with his single long ball attempt.

Defensively, the 26-year-old made six recoveries, five interceptions, two tackles, two clearances, won four ground duels and two of his three aerial duels.

With the impressive Rabby Nzingoula and Felix Horn Myhre providing fresh midfield competition, Diakite will know he needs to raise his levels if he's to keep his place in the side.

But should he continue playing at this standard, then Morrison won't be able to drop him from his starting XI.