, 3 West Brom players who stood out for the Baggies in win v Birmingham City

3 West Brom players who stood out for the Baggies in win v Birmingham City

West Brom are again looking like that threatening side from two seasons ago that swept into the Premier League with Leeds United.

West Brom fans didn’t see that side last season in English football’s top-tier competition. However, they are definitely seeing it now.

Before last night’s game against local rivals Birmingham City, the Baggies sat in 2nd place on 22 points, three points behind leaders Bournemouth. A win would have been enough to take them to the summit.

Derby fixtures always tend to be hard-fought affair where both sides refuse to give an inch as they battle for local bragging rights. That was the case at The Hawthorns in a scoreless opening 45 minutes.

The game started to open up in the second half. After Birmingham City went close, Ivan Sunjic grazing the bar, it was West Brom who actually broke the deadlock.

Karlan Grant (75′) struck his 5th of the season to give the Baggies the lead. It was a 1-0 lead that they would take to the end of the game, the three points enough to see them top the table.

Here are three West Brom players who stood out in a table-topping win against rivals Birmingham City.

Karlan Grant – WhoScored rating 7.81

24-year-old former Huddersfield Town man Grant showed his lethal nature with a well-taken goal, his 5th of the season. He was dangerous all night, fashioning four shooting opportunities.

He also passed with accuracy (71%), completing 15 of his 21 pass attempts – one being a key pass setting up a teammate chance. He also won all four of his headed contests in an encouraging display.

Conor Townsend -WhoScored rating 7.36

Left-sided midfielder Conor Townsend was another Baggie who stood out in a narrow, hard-fought win at The Hawthorns. Whilst not highly accurate (65%) in his distribution, his passing did keep the Black Country side on the front foot.

He was more impressive in his defensive duties, completing four tackles and two interceptions as he helped to nullify the Birmingham City threat. He also completed both of his attempted dribbles.

Matthew Clarke – WhoScored rating 7.06

Central defender Clarke was playing as part of a back three for Valerian Ismael’s side. He acquitted himself well, winning an impressive seven headers.

He was also important when the ball was on the ground. He completed two tackles as well as a game-leading seven clearances.

Data derived from the West Brom vs Birmingham City match profile on the WhoScored website.

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