West Bromwich Albion recorded an impressive 2-0 victory over Luton Town on Saturday afternoon as they returned to winning ways with a win at the Hawthorns.
There is no doubt that the Baggies looked more solid than in recent weeks and also looked more of a threat going forward with the introduction of loanee Callum Robinson.
Here we take a look at three things we learnt about West Brom following the encounter:
ROBINSON COULD BE THE DIFFERENCE
Slaven Bilic pulled off a real coup by signing Sheffield United forward Callum Robinson on loan for the rest of the season ahead of a host of other Championship clubs. West Brom were interested in the versatile Robinson in the summer but he opted for the Blades where he was going to be getting Premier League football and this interest was what prompted him to join the Baggies. He looked lively and direct on his first start for the club where he created the first goal whilst forcing the Luton keeper into several saves with shots from distance. Robinson could be just the cutting edge that Albion have been lacking at times this season.
FIRST CLEAN SHEET AT HOME COULD BREED CONFIDENCE
Not only did West Brom win the game against Luton but they also recorded what was surprisingly their first clean sheet at home this season. Sam Johnstone was rarely troubled beyond his means in truth but he was also helped by the return of Semi Ajayi. The big defender was suspended for their trip to Cardiff in midweek and his absence was notable as Ahmed Hegazi struggled against the Bluebirds despite being impressive against West Ham in the FA Cup. Albion have had two clean sheets in their last three games and both have been with Ajayi playing, highlighting the importance of their summer signing.
OPTIONS, OPTIONS, OPTIONS FOR BILIC
West Brom had a rather youthful bench on Saturday and yet despite their victory they were missing several key players for the game. Kieran Gibbs who is undoubtedly their first choice left-back when fit is still injured as is winger Grady Diangana who has been sensational so far this season. Matheus Pereira was suspended and has been for the last three games although he will return for their game against Millwall. Chris Brunt was also given time off to rest following his transfer speculation and Nathan Ferguson was absent from the squad due to a knee injury and his ‘almost’ move to Crystal Palace. Their new signings Kamil Grosicki and Lee Peltier didn’t make the squad due to paperwork issues and with all of these absentees, it truly emphasises just how many options Bilic has at his disposal once he has a fully available set of players.
