West Bromwich Albion supporters will be overjoyed at how well their side have started this new Championship season, as the Baggies now sit at the very top of the division.
That is the case after Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland unexpectedly lost to Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, but Carlos Corberan‘s men still had to travel down to Portsmouth and pick up a result themselves, which they managed in style.
Alex Mowatt was undoubtedly the star of the show at Fratton Park for the West Midlands outfit, as the former Leeds United man helped himself to two wonderful strikes on the way to his exuberant side putting Pompey to the sword 3-0.
Mowatt’s performance vs Pompey
Mowatt continues to shine in the middle of the park for Corberan’s side, with the experienced midfielder now into his fourth campaign playing for his top-of-the-table employers.
After Josh Maja broke the deadlock within the first minute on the South Coast, West Brom were crying out for another strike to try and kill the game off at 2-0, with the 29-year-old delightfully stroking an effort past Will Norris early into the second 45 minutes to send the packed out away end into raptures.
He even had a delightful free-kick up his sleeve to further excite the Baggies faithful, as West Brom strolled to another three points courtesy of their standout number 27.
Away from his devastating brace, Mowatt also registered five key passes on the day to try and play his teammates into the game, alongside bravely winning 12 duels and completing six tackles to preserve his side’s clean sheet.
He wasn’t the only star man, however.
Bartley’s performance vs Pompey
Kyle Bartley also very much played his part in the Baggies exiting the game at Fratton Park with a clean sheet still in-tact, as the reliable West Brom captain put in a titan-like display in the emphatic victory.
The ageing 33-year-old displayed no signs of visible rust up against John Mousinho’s hosts, with the 6 foot 1 colossus also showing to any nervous West Brom fans before a ball was kicked this season that life does go on without Cedric Kipre in the heart of defence.
Amazingly, across the full 90 minutes, Bartley amassed 11 clearances of the ball to help snuff out any Pompey danger, whilst also managing to block four efforts on Alex Palmer’s net.
Bartley’s performance in numbers | |
|---|---|
Minutes played | 90 |
Goals scored | 0 |
Assists | 0 |
Touches | 56 |
Accurate passes | 35/37 (95%) |
Possession lost | 3x |
Clearances | 11 |
Blocked shots | 4 |
Total duels won | 3/4 |
Stats by Sofascore | |
Only misplacing two passes during the lunchtime kick off too – with Mowatt actually misplacing three – Bartley was a calm and collected presence at the back for Corberan’s men, who also had that necessary fight in his game to keep Pompey at arm’s length, seen in his three successful duels.
Bartley’s top-drawer display was recognised post-match by Express and Star journalist Jonny Drury, who gifted the steady defender an 8/10 rating and stated that he was a ‘rock’ for his side alongside equally dependable centre-back partner Semi Ajayi.
The seasoned number five didn’t just fluke this level of performance at Fratton Park, however, with Bartley one of the first names on Corberan’s team sheet at the moment for a reason.
He has more than helped West Brom only leak two goals all season long in the Championship – which means the Baggies boast the meanest defence in the league now after Sunderland’s 3-2 defeat at Home Park – and will continue to be picked week in week out by his manager alongside Mowatt.
West Brom supporters will be well aware that a dip in form will come at some stage this campaign, but with four wins and a draw already under their belt, the mood amongst Baggies supporters currently is one of ecstasy.
