With a tap-in from Josh Maja, West Bromwich Albion defeated Plymouth Argyle 1-0 in a tense match.
With the win, Albion reclaims the top spot in the Championship table, which Sunderland had briefly held after their victory against Middlesbrough earlier in the day.
Maja’s goal came against the flow of play in the 62nd minute, but the Pilgrims were unable to convert their opportunities at the Hawthorns as Plymouth had the better start to the second half.
This is the third loss of the season for Wayne Rooney’s team, which now sits 20th in the Championship.
Albion started the game in spectacular fashion, as they have done all season, almost scoring with winger
Maja prodded wide Karlan Ahearne-Grant’s sharp cross.
But as the half progressed, Argyle gained momentum and came dangerously close to taking the lead when Ryan Hardie, the striker, narrowly deflected a lively cross from Ibrahim Cissokho in the 20th minute.
After that, the Baggies quickly answered with an opportunity of their own, as Ahearne-Grant hit the near post with a strong low drive.
Alex Mowatt, who scored twice against Portsmouth last week, curled a shot onto the right post from outside the box, and shortly after the half, fellow midfielder John Swift did the same on the left post, proving that the woodwork was a familiar opponent for Carlos Corberan’s team.
Retaliation
Plymouth did not allow the opportunities to deter them but in a first half filled with bustle, Baggies keeper and former Pilgrim Alex Palmer denied Morgan Whittaker and Darko Gyabi, reminding the hosts of their counterattacking threat.
Though Whittaker forced Palmer to make another stop in the 51st minute, the Devon club was considerably more aggressive after the interval and the Pilgrims’ missed opportunities ultimately proved costly.
Summertime acquisition Racic, who is on loan from Sassuolo in Italy, was starting in midfield for the West Midlands team in place of the injured Jayson Molumby. In his first full debut, Racic made a huge impact by putting in a low cross that Maja tapped in in the 62nd minute, preventing Plymouth from pulling even at the Hawthorns.
Despite losing 3-2 last week, Rooney was “pleased.”
The first win of the season over Sunderland gave Plymouth manager Rooney every reason to feel that his team was getting better and that his terrible start as Argyle manager—which included four straight losses—was well behind him.
Both teams had chances, with Plymouth having the best opportunity through the hardworking Whittaker in the second half. However, Rooney’s team found it difficult to match the intensity and speed of a promotion-chasing West Brom team on defense.
Former Manchester United striker Rooney was happy to see his team “compete” with the top teams in the Championship despite the loss.
“The pleasing thing is we’re showing we can compete with the best teams in the league,” Rooney stated.
“We are more than competent of giving teams trouble; we’re enjoying our growing confidence when it comes to the ball.
“Certainly since the first game, which of course was a disaster for us, a disaster start, we’ve competed in every game, we’ve shown we’re a good team, and if we play like we did today, then we’ll pick up a lot of wins.”
When Plymouth hosts Luton on Friday of next week, they’ll be hoping to recover.
There’s a lot we can do to get better.
With the Baggies leading the Championship, today’s victory was a positive step for West Brom’s promotion hopes, despite an imperfect performance.
The West Midlands team‘s victory over Plymouth marked their fifth victory in their previous six games, although despite that manager Corberan stated that despite the team’s greatest start to a season in thirty-one years, there are ” many things” his players can do better.
Corberan responded, “Especially in the game understanding and the game management,” when questioned about possible enhancements.
“There were times in the first half when we had to exercise more patience and force passes with our advantages.
“I guarantee there are many things we can do to improve.”
Next Saturday, West Brom will be looking to hold into first place at Sheffield Wednesday.
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