Huddersfield were worthy winners – West Brom boss Carlos Corberan

Jack Rudoni struck as Huddersfield caught Albion on the counter-attack just seconds after substitute Josh Maja spurned a gilt-edged chance to make it 2-1 to the hosts. John Swift equalised shortly after half-time through a counter-attack of Albion's own.

Corberan was left frustrated to sign off with a defeat and no chance to respond due to the international break. The head coach admitted, thought, that his former side were worthy victors.

Asked about the way his side lost at the death, Corberan replied: "Especially when you don't have another game to compete in in the next 15 days.

"Now we need to digest the feeling, keep this feeling in the next 15 days until we next have the opportunity to play a football game.

"We lost a good opportunity to win three points but we didn't win them because Huddersfield, for me, in many moments of the game were better than us.

"They started the game better, were very competitive, something that we knew perfectly. I spoke with the players that it'd be a real battle, especially in the middle of the pitch. They put a lot of physical players in. The fact they didn't win a game before that just made them more dangerous.

"But I think this is the Championship this year, if you don't manage every single thing well, you put the result at risk. The level of the Championship this year, the difference between the teams doesn't exact.

"So every team is a good team, and some good teams have excellent players. We need to compete a lot and be focused in every game.

"If we analyse the result, we lost that game if we talk the action before we concede the second goal – we could've won that game because one moment in Maja for 2-1, and after they have the opportunity, because we didn't manage well not just the chance but also the counter-attack, I don't understand why we didn't manage better their transition.

"We allowed them to make a cross. We need to manage the ball or make a foul so this counter-attack doesn't exist. The only way for me they could've scored a goal was in the transitions or in set-pieces."

Corberan switched to a 4-2-3-1 for the clash after a recent 3-5-2, but Albion were hampered by illness to both Semi Ajayi and Erik Pieters.

The head coach switched to a back three with second-half changes, which saw the lively Jeremy Sarmiento introduced, as well as Pieters, Maja and Nathaniel Chalobah.

"I wanted to win the game," Corberan said of his subs. "That's why we moved Molumby and put a winger. If you move a midfielder and put a winger it means you go for the game.

"I was watching Swift was excellent in the game, I could believe in him to help to attack while playing three centre-backs to not suffer in defence.

"The situation we suffered, the counter-attack, it was a pity because Lee Nicholls helped them save the ball and after we had a lot of opportunities to stop the action, but we didn't do.

"At the end we need to accept one result difficult to accept, especially for the way we lost because we couldn't show our real level to Huddersfield. Huddersfield did a very good game, very good changes and won the game."

Corberan continued by explaining he felt Albion lost the game in the physical battles, especially in midfield.

"We played with a four knowing how important the battles were in the middle of the pitch," Corberan said of the defeat. "For me the game today was not (about) playing with four or five (in defence) it was about winning second balls, if you win second balls you can progress and then attack well with the man-to-man defending they were doing.

"In the first half we won some good second balls but the next pass was terrible, we start to make a lot of fouls, concede set-pieces and put the game where they wanted it.

"In any moment we had the opportunity to break their press, so we were playing the game more in our pitch than their pitch, we didn't find Townsend enough who was free in the first half, we didn't use him enough to attack. The right side we didn't attack between Wallace and Furlong.

"We need to improve, attack and defend more, and we did, but I knew today would be a very physical game, one game you need to work very well, concentrate and manage every detail to win. We scored an amazing transition goal in terms of Swift's finish.

"We changed again to five with Bartley's injury, to recover the solidity in defence, but everything changed in the last action of the game."