Grady Diangana and Brandon Thomas-Asante each scored a goal as West Brom defeated Coventry 2-0, allowing them to reclaim a spot in the Championship playoff zone.
The team known as the Sky Blues had only suffered one loss at the CBS Arena since January, but unfortunately, they experienced their third consecutive defeat which left them in 20th place in the standings. The Baggies, on the other hand, claimed their second victory on the road this season and moved up to fifth place, thanks to their impressive record of six clean sheets in their last seven games.
At the start of the game, the team led by Carlos Corberán did not have a designated striker as Thomas-Asante was not included in the starting lineup. However, in the 17th minute, when Ben Wilson let go of Nathaniel Chalobah’s shot and it landed directly at Diangana’s feet, the winger was quick to compose himself and score into an unguarded goal.
The guests began the game strong, dominating in Coventry’s territory and earning several corners. However, their momentum was disrupted when a potential goal from Kyle Bartley was ruled offside after hitting the post.
Coventry’s most expensive player, Haji Wright, had a tough night as he missed two significant chances to tie the game at 1-0. Initially, he skewed a precise cross from Liam Kitching outside of Alex Palmer’s goal from a short distance, following an earlier attempt that was blocked by Cédric Kipré. Palmer also came up with a save to deny Wright’s shot from a difficult angle after a pass from Jay Dasilva, and Jamie Allen was unable to make contact with his own attempt.
In the first half, Mark Robins’ team had a difficult time, despite making 11 attempts at scoring. Palmer was able to stop Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s shot, and Ben Sheaf missed twice from long distance.
After the first half, Josh Eccles made a precise pass that broke through the defense and set Wright up for a one-on-one opportunity with Palmer. However, Wright missed the shot and the goal was left wide open. In the 69th minute, Matt Phillips passed the ball to Thomas-Asante who was running down the left side. Thomas-Asante then entered the box and expertly placed the ball in the top corner to score. Later, as a substitute, Thomas-Asante had another chance to increase the lead, but he couldn’t capitalize as he was tackled by Kyle McFadzean and his shot went over the goal.
In their last four games, Coventry had only managed to score two goals. In an attempt to revive the Sky Blues’ performance, Matt Godden and Ellis Simms were substituted in. Additionally, on his first home game since December after recovering from a knee injury, Callum O’Hare had a penalty appeal rejected.
One year ago, the Baggies were in last place in the league with only 14 points from 17 games. However, they managed to secure a 2-0 win, making it only one loss in their last nine games. Corberán commented on the game, saying “The result was fantastic. We were aware that Coventry has not been defeated at home so far, and during the game we realized how challenging it was to win here tonight.”
“The initial objective was a team effort, as Grady demonstrated his strong connection to the game by aggressively pursuing the second ball. The second goal was executed brilliantly, with a well-placed pass from [Matt] Phillips, impressive speed from Asante, and a superb finish. I am extremely satisfied to have earned three points due to the hard work and dedication of the players in tonight’s game.”
Source: theguardian.com
