West Bromwich Albion secured a much-needed three points yesterday afternoon as they claimed a narrow 2-1 victory away at local rivals Coventry City, elevating them back to third spot ahead of QPR’s clash with Stoke City today.

Karlan Grant was the man to open the scoring for the Baggies, latching on to a through ball in the 20th minute and slotting calmly past Simon Moore to send the away end into raptures, having seen their side fail to score in their previous three matches and had gone winless in their last four games coming into this tie.

Things would get even better for Albion in controversial circumstances just before the interval, with Cedric Kipre seemingly directing the ball towards goal with his arm and deflecting off Kyle McFadzean to take the ball over the line.

 

 

In a much-improved display for Valerien Ismael’s side, they were able to defend their two-goal lead until the 83rd minute, when McFadezan managed to get himself on the scoresheet at the other end to make amends.

However, the visitors were able to hold on in the end in their ambitious quest to re-establish themselves as automatic promotion contenders, even with their current injury crisis in central midfield and recent inability to be clinical in the final third.

With this win under their belt, we take a deeper look into the performance and select one West Brom winner and one loser from yesterday’s lunchtime kick-off.

Winner: Taylor Gardner-Hickman

With Jake Livermore and Jayson Molumby suspended and Robert Snodgrass out with a back injury, Alex Mowatt was the only senior, orthodox option in the middle of the park for Ismael to choose from, providing him with a big decision in selecting the ex-Barnsley captain’s midfield partner.

There was little chance of the Frenchman switching his system after persevering with the 3-4-3 throughout the campaign - and in came right-back Gardner-Hickman to do a respectable job in a new position.

The performance he put in wasn’t just respectable though, it was magnificent in a game of such a high magnitude, showing such composure on the ball and putting in a mature performance beyond his years as a 19-year-old.

With this, there would be outrage if he didn’t start in the next game despite both Livermore and Molumby returning from their respective suspensions.

But even if he did drop out, he’s certainly made his case to be included in the first-team squad for the remainder of the season and beyond - so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him appear more regularly in the Championship.

Loser: Grady Diangana

23-year-old Diangana was given yet another chance to shine from the off after coming close to scoring against Nottingham Forest in their second-tier meeting prior to yesterday’s match, but failed to get a goal or assist to boost his confidence.

For a man that has only managed to get himself on the scoresheet once in 19 league appearances this term, the weekend’s match at the Coventry Building Society Arena was yet another setback for him and he is at real risk of being dropped.

Being taken off for another misfiring forward in Jordan Hugill just ten minutes after the interval, this may see the Baggies enter the transfer market in search of another man to come into the front three, potentially limiting the ex-West Ham winger’s chances.

The one saving grace for the 23-year-old is the fact Callum Robinson didn’t put in an outstanding display either, but yesterday didn’t help his cause regardless.

He will be hoping to bounce back as soon as possible - and he certainly has the potential to.