Report | West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Argyle
Argyle fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns as Josh Maja’s 62nd-minute goal separated the sides.
Wayne Rooney’s side performed admirably at the Sky Bet Championship table toppers but were left to rue missed chances to clinch a result on the road.
Morgan Whittaker had the best of them after Alex Palmer saved with the forward one on one, but the hosts had chances aplenty of their own and hit the woodwork three times.
Karlan Grant was at the heart of everything good Albion did in the first half, and he had the first chance of the match.
Kornel Szucs headed a clearance away which fell to Grant, who drove forward with pace and power and threaded Maja through. The forward’s chipped shot drifted just wide of the far post.
Argyle had an early chance of their own after brilliant interplay from Adam Randell and Szucs, to find Whittaker on the right. He played a brilliant through ball to Ryan Hardie who got in behind Kyle Bartley. The forward checked back to try and get a shot off, but the Albion defender got back well to ease him off the ball. Appeals for a penalty were correctly waved away by referee Andrew Kitchen.
The hosts found joy throughout the first half, putting cross-field passes in behind the Argyle fullbacks. Swift played the first of them, finding Furlong, who played it to Tom Fellows with a slide pass. The winger drove into the area, but his shot was well blocked by Lewis Gibson before it could reach the Argyle goal.
Ibrahim Cissoko was again lively on the left and found Adam Forshaw in space with a penetrative forward pass. The Argyle midfielder turned on the ball and threaded Hardie through, but Alex Palmer was out quickly to smother it. The Argyle number nine would have been offside anyway.
Just before the 20-minute mark, Cissoko found space again and danced into the area, delivering a dangerous cross which Hardie flicked goalwards. His header was just wide of Palmer’s post.
Grant was again the instigator of good Albion play as he again found space in behind Szucs after being put through on goal. The forward cut back onto his favoured right foot, but his shot found the outside of the post. From the rebound, Argyle immediately went up the other end with Hardie cutting back for Whittaker, but his left foot shot was headed clear before it could find the top corner.
Fellows was an equal threat on the other wing and drove into the area after a corner was cleared to him, but his shot was saved low down by Daniel Grimshaw.
A first half of chances continued, with Alex Mowatt the latest to have an effort as his long-range shot deflected onto the post. Moments later, Argyle broke through Cissoko, who travelled 30 yards towards the edge of the area. He laid it off to Whittaker, but his pass wasn’t crisp, and the Argyle number 10 could only fire it high and wide.
Darko Gyabi had the last Argyle chance of note in the first half after his strike from range was saved by Palmer, scrambling across his goal line. Cissoko could only find the side netting with the rebound.
Just before the interval, Josh Maja had the ball in the back of the net after Grant found him with a low cross, but he was clearly offside and both sides headed into the break goalless after a scintillating first half.
Argyle came out in the second period much the stronger side, dominating the opening 15 minutes. Brilliant interplay between Gyabi and Whittaker found the latter in space on the edge of the area and his strike was powerful, but straight at Palmer who managed to parry it clear.
That period of good work was soon over though as John Swift did well on the right to find space and he put in an excellent low cross for Maja to tap home unmarked.
The hosts then looked to really kill the game off with Semi Ajayi having a header tipped over by Grimshaw. From the following corner, Bartley headed over from close range when it was probably easier to score. Mowatt then had a shot from range that deflected just over.
Argyle Head Coach Rooney looked to turn the tide with a triple substitution with Michael Obafemi, Mustapha Bundu and Callum Wright joining the fray.
The latter two were immediately involved with Bundu finding Wright in the area but his cross was lofted and couldn’t find an Argyle attacker.
Argyle then had good, sustained possession which led to a chance, with Whittaker whipping a cross in that Edwards met but he could only flick his header into the palms of Palmer.
It was the captain again with good work as he won the ball high up the pitch off Johnston, he found Whittaker who played it wide to Bundu. The substitute tried to curl for the far corner, but it went agonisingly wide of the far post and that was the last meaningful attempt of note.
A disappointing result for Wayne Rooney’s side, but a performance with plenty of positives that probably deserved more from the game.
West Bromwich Albion: 1 Alex Palmer, 2 Darnell Furlong, 5 Kyle Bartley (capt), 6 Semi Ajayi, 9 Josh Maja (19 Lewis Dobbin 78’), 10 John Swift (11 Grady Diangana 63’), 14 Torbjorn Heggem, 18 Karlan Grant (22 Mikey Johnston 63’), 20 Uros Racic (17 Ousmane Diakite 71’), 27 Alex Mowatt, 31 Tom Fellows (7 Jed Wallace 71’). Substitutes 30 Ted Cann, 3 Mason Holgate, 4 Callum Styles, 24 Gianluca Frabotta.
Goals: Maja 62’
Booked: Mowatt 56', Wallace 72’, Heggem 90+2’
Argyle: 31 Daniel Grimshaw, 2 Bali Mumba, 6 Kornel Szucs, 7 Ibrahim Cissoko (11 Callum Wright 77’), 8 Joe Edwards (capt), 9 Ryan Hardie (15 Mustapha Bundu 77’), 10 Morgan Whittaker, 17 Lewis Gibson, 18 Darko Gyabi (14 Michael Obafemi 77’), 20 Adam Randell, 27 Adam Forshaw (28 Rami Al Hajj 67’). Substitutes 25 Marko Marosi (gk), 3 Nathanael Ogbeta, 4 Jordan Houghton, 22 Brendan Galloway, 44 Victor Palsson.
Booked: Edwards 55’, Szucs 68’
