West Brom entered Saturday’s game against Reading on the back of a hard-fought, 2-1 win against Coventry City. It was a result that saw them maintain their 3rd place in the Championship table.
West Brom fans would likely have been hoping for a victory that would keep the Baggies in pursuit of Championship top-two of Fulham and Bournemouth. They were up against a Reading outfit who entered the game with a mixed bag of form.
The story of the opening half belonged to the home side with the Baggies coming out on top of everything without scoring. The Black Country side had 14 shots to their visitors single chance and they dominated (63.6%) the possession. Still, despite six on-target shots, Valerian Ismael’s side couldn’t make a breakthrough.
Reading upped their efforts in the opening throes of the second half but the Baggies were still in a dominant mood. It was no surprise that they took the lead with Callum Robinson (62′) profiting from Karlan Grant’s assist.
Here are three West Brom players who stood out in a narrow win vs Reading.
READ: ‘Simply quality’ – Plenty of West Brom fans hail ‘outstanding’ player performance v Reading
Callum Robinson – WhoScored rating 8.21
26-year-old Robinson scored his fourth goal of the season, one where he also has six Championship assists. However, his game was much more than this and that included 19 accurate passes that yielded three key passes leading to chances. He also completed both his dribbles to keep Reading on the back foot.
Taylor Gardiner-Hickman – WhoScored rating 7.69
Teenager Gardiner-Hickman continues to improve and impress for the Baggies and yesterday’s game was evidence of that. He saw a lot of the ball (5%) and his distribution was highly accurate (91%) as he completed 31 of his 34 passes. This was in addition to four tackles and two interceptions for the 19-year-old.
Karlan Grant – WhoScored rating 7.68
24-year-old Grant’s assist for Robinson’s goal was his third of the season and goes with his nine goals so far. He also completed both his dribbles as well as winning two headers. It was another game where the former Huddersfield Town man showed how vital he is to West Brom’s efforts this season.
Data derived from the West Bromwich Albion vs Reading match profile on the WhoScored website.
