Middlesbrough remain unbeaten in the opening five fixtures of the 2018/19 Championship season, and moved top of the table after their 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion on Friday night.

Speaking to Birmingham Live, Boro boss Tony Pulis praised the quality of players at his former side, following a last gasp victory over the Baggies courtesy of Daniel Ayala.

Pulis stated: “I think they’ve got the best squad, and the best players, and anybody who finishes above them will get promoted.

“Is it because I signed half the squad? No! I just think that they were a club where everybody thought they were going to sell all their players, and they weren’t going to be left with anything.

“They bring Dawson on, with a couple of minutes to go, Morrison...they’ve got real quality in that football club.

“They’ve still got Chadli to come into the team. It’s just a matter of us catching them today and we’ve played really well to win but there’ll be other days where they’ll play really well and just open teams up.”

Pulis was sacked by the Baggies last November, despite sitting above the relegation zone at the time of his departure from the Hawthorns.

West Brom came close to taking the lead in the first-half, courtesy of a deflected cross, which cannoned off Boro defender Aden Flint and onto the crossbar, past a helpless Darren Randolph.

Last season's outcast loanee Martin Braithwaite was culpable of missing a couple of good opportunities, whilst Flint should have been rewarded a penalty early in the first-half, thus demonstrating the struggle that West Bromwich Albion went through defensively.

The Baggies take on Mansfield in the Carabao Cup during the week, whilst Boro and Pulis welcome Rochdale to the Riverside Stadium for the second-round of the competition.

The Verdict

Middlesbrough were the better team for the large majority of the Championship affair, despite West Brom enjoying the better of the possession on the night.

Darren Moore may feel slightly hard done by, as there was a hint of handball during the build up to Ayala’s late winner, but he cannot argue with the final result.

Pulis echoes what has been said by many since the outset of the season, that West Brom are underachieving considering the talent they have in their ranks.

Is West Brom's squad the best in the Championship? Let us know your thoughts! 

[ad_pod ]