West Brom manager James Morrison and West Brom defender Brayann Pereira.

James Morrison and Brayann PereiraImago

West Brom player ratings vs Derby County: Pereira sent off in 1/10 debut nightmare, two 9/10 heroes for Albion

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Published on:

09 Sep 2026, 8:41 pm

West Bromwich Albion put in a huge effort with 10 men to defeat Derby County and go top of the Championship.

Albion had not earned a league victory at Pride Park in 23 years.

But Aune Heggebo's first-half goal proved enough to earn a 1-0 victory in extremely tough circumstances for James Morrison's side.

Debutant Brayann Pereira was sent off in the 34th minute, to leave the Baggies an uphill task.

But West Brom dug in their heels, and put in an extremely hard-working shift to go two points clear after a fine start to the season.

Here, West Brom News looks at the key moments from the game and rates the Baggies heroes out of 10.

Brayann Pereira has a West Brom nightmare on debut

It's never nice to see a player struggle on debut, and it was an absolute horror show from Pereira.

Even before his first booking, he and Harry Whitwell had really struggled to cope with Mohammed Fuseini.

Indeed, Whitwell had already been booked himself by the time Pereira clattered into the Derby winger.

His second was not helped by a poor clearance from Max O'Leary, but it was a dismal touch then a reckless decision to lunge after former Albion man Charlie Taylor.

West Brom down to 10! ❌

Brayann Pereira has been sent off on his debut after two yellow cards pic.twitter.com/GNmxzngm0G
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 9, 2026

The 23-year-old was visibly upset as he went off the pitch, and you sense he will have a real tough ask getting back into the team after his suspension is served now.

To make matters worse, Galves himself later went off injured during an innocuous challenge with Fuseini, and had to be helped off the pitch by medical staff.

Nat Phillips leads West Brom backs against the wall performance

West Brom backs were against the wall for much of the game thanks to Pereira's red card.

But even before, Derby had started the game in more composed style than the Baggies did.

Heggebo's goal, his second of the season after his contentious goal in the opening-day win over Norwich City, came against the run of play.

Aune Heggebø gives West Brom the lead against Derby from close range! 👏 pic.twitter.com/x1zXoWpDPg
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 9, 2026

The Norwegian was a great outlet for Albion, who had plenty of hard-working performances in defence and midfield, before surprisingly being taken off at half-time

Nat Phillips and Jayson Molumby deserve credit for the shifts they put in, and Morgan put himself before the team by moving over to the wing after the required tactical reshuffle.

James Morrison will be thrilled with the collective effort his side showed in extremely tough circumstances.