Swansea 1 West Brom 2: Five lessons from victory at the Liberty
West Brom bettered Swansea in mid-week with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at the Liberty Stadium - here are five things learned from the encounter.
Baggies can grind it out
Albion have uncovered a new-found defensive resilience since moving to a back four.
They may not be keeping clean sheets – they have only managed it once in the Championship, at home to Millwall, and against Luton Town in the EFL Cup – but that’s eight games in a row they’ve only conceded one.
And with their firepower, you would back them to outscore anybody in the division. They can do the dirty side though.
They weren’t at their free-flowing best, but they managed the game brilliantly in the second half, taking the sting out of it.
The ghost of Tony Pulis – but Darren Moore deserves credit
Two set-pieces and two towering headers from two big centre-backs. Sound familiar?
Albion proved they can still score traditional types of goals – plenty of which were seen during the Tony Pulis era.
However, the credit on this occasion must go to the current coaching staff. They identified Swansea’s weakness at the back post and exploited it. Twice.
Credit too goes to Matt Phillips, Craig Dawson and Ahmed Hegazi for executing the plan perfectly.
Moore holds his nerve
The Baggies looked in need of fresh legs as the game passed the hour mark. However, it was the sort of tense and tactical game it is difficult to be subbed into.
Moore kept his nerve and it wasn’t until the 87th minute he finally made his first change.
The 11 on the pitch found a collective second wind to shut the game out and bring home the three points.
It was a brave decision because it would have been easy to criticise him after the game had Swansea managed to score an equaliser.
Matt Phillips flourishing
It may not have been as eye catching as his dribbles from deep, but his set-pieces were crucial and bang on the money for Dawson and Hegazi to head home the critical goals.
He proved his worth from a defensive point of view as well – his work off the ball during the second half was very impressive.
The former Blackpool and QPR man is having a great season.
He’s a Premier League player on this form and can hopefully continue to use these impressive displays to guide the Baggies back to the top flight.
Sam Johnstone grew into the game
Johnstone endured a nervy first period which saw him flap at a high ball and parry a shot into Oli McBurnie’s path for the goal (although it did swerve a bit).
However, the keeper grew into the game and commanded his box well in the second half. It’s worth remembering he’s still only 25 – he’s a great shot stopper, but his all-round game is also slowly improving.
And how Villa would have loved to have kept him. Their boss Dean Smith made a poignant comment about current No.1 Orjan Nyland not making a save despite letting in five against Nottingham Forest.
