Lewis Cox analysis: West Brom serve up an away day to remember

Albion not only emphatically ended a run of four winless games, but they ripped up the Championship form book and laid down a marker to build from for the remainder of the season.

Saturday’s 4-0 rout at Preston North End’s Deepdale – where the hosts previously boasted a 100 per cent winning record – was without question Albion’s best away performance in Carlos Corberan’s year in charge.

There is a debate whether it may be the best performance under the Spaniard all told. The visitors made a mockery of Preston heading into the contest as favourites, given the respective home and away form of both sides. The context of the clash makes the outcome more stunning.

It was a remarkable way for travelling Baggies to finally see a first victory on the road this term.

The level of Saturday’s performance was so far clear of anything Albion had put together in an indifferent start to the 2023/24 campaign.

Corberan had previously spoken about how his side had to try to spread flashes or halves of impressive play throughout a whole 95-minute performance. The Spaniard was confident, in his press conference 24 hours earlier, that Albion were heading in the right direction with their three consecutive draws previously.

Four unanswered goals from four different goalscorers had the Deepdale away end dancing with joy in the miserable grey, rainy north west conditions. Albion travelled in numbers, as they always do, and how they were rewarded.

The celebration scenes at full-time will live long in the memory of those that were there. Grady Diangana, Darnell Furlong and Alex Palmer led the jubilation.

Ryan Lowe’s Preston had made a stunning start to the Championship campaign and sat third as the division’s only club without defeat but Corberan’s visitors made a total mockery of that throughout. This was Albion with five changes for a second week running as the head coach continued to utilise his squad.

North End were not just made to look average by the Baggies, they were made to look hapless, woeful, desperate. They were simply incapable of living with Albion, who swarmed their hosts throughout, both with and without the ball.

The game felt over as a contest by half-an-hour as midfielder Alex Mowatt, exceptional throughout, made it 2-0 by doubling the lead handed to Albion through Furlong’s fourth-minute stunner.

Mowatt’s goal was one to remember and started from the hands of Palmer and his exceptional clearance to release a flying Diangana down the right flank.

There was a feeling at half-time that Preston couldn’t be much worse. But Albion didn’t let them get much better and maintained their dominance until the very end.

Matt Phillips’ deflected effort made it three just after the hour. He could have scored a beauty just before that. By that point John Swift had been involved in all three goals with the Baggies incisive in everything they did.

There was still time in the closing stages for defender Kyle Bartley to bundle in a fourth with more desire than his defender to attack a free-kick. Albion fans cried “we want five” but the damage was more than done with PNE put to the slaughter.

It was the best away day enjoyed by travelling Baggies since before the Covid lockdown. You have to go back to the days of February 2020 and the 3-0 win at Bristol City for similar, when Albion were well on their way to promotion under Slaven Bilic – with nobody aware a pandemic was looming.

As Albion legend Tony Brown offered up in the press box at full-time: “That is the best we’ve played for a long, long time.”

It was not just the result and the goals that will live long in the memory from Corberan’s side.

Some of the football the Baggies played at Deepdale was breathtaking at times. Right from the get-go Albion combined with one and two-touch moves. The flowing move to create Furlong’s early opener was wonderfully worked, as was the Palmer-inspired second.

It kept coming, Albion kept coming. Preston were blown away and became totally incompetent with the football themselves. There was no question they failed to deliver, but no doubt that was heavily down to the visitors.

There was an irony as Albion plundered in four goals. This was an Albion starting without a recognised centre-forward. Brandon Thomas-Asante – the only natural option available – was offered a rest with a busy three-game week, and captain and winger Jed Wallace led the line. He did so remarkably, brilliantly supported by Swift, Phillips and Diangana.

It was very much a case of no striker, no problem for Albion.

Corberan’s squad have now laid down a marker of what they are capable of. There is no chance such a performance level can be replicated each week, but the level of determination and belief – as the boss said afterwards – can be achieved.

It was a showcase to Baggies fans of what this group can achieve. There is a quiet ambition within the ranks that Albion can make it a season to remember. Days like that back this up.

But the real test comes tomorrow, as rock-bottom and winless Sheffield Wednesday visit The Hawthorns. Albion must ensure the form book is not ripped up again once again.