West Brom, Baggies, Championship, Steve Bruce
Matt Clarke, Alex Mowatt and Andy Carroll were the standout performers as West Brom pulled off an impressive 2-0 victory at home to AFC Bournemouth.
The Baggies kept their faint playoff hopes alive with a crucial three points at a stage of the season where only wins will suffice if Steve Bruce’s side are going to make a late dash for the Championship top six.
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Two early goals were enough for the home side at The Hawthorns as Mowatt opened the scoring after eight minutes before Carroll cooly doubled the lead just four minutes later – the veteran striker’s second goal since joining the club in January.
According to Sofascore, there were three players who stood out as West Brom’s most influential on the night – could this spine drive Bruce’s side towards a sneaky play-off berth?
Clarke 7.8/10
The 25-year-old full-back was at the heart of this performance and produced a defensive masterclass to keep the automatic promotion-chasing Cherries at bay.
Clarke provided seven clearances, two blocked shots, four interceptions and three tackles – winning 6/9 (67%) of his duels overall up against Ryan Christie and Jefferson Lerma.
Mowatt 7.7/10
This was yet another strong performance from the midfielder who has so often been West Brom’s leading light this season.
Early goal aside, the 27-year-old was a key figure in the midfield and ended the match having made two key passes, winning 2/4 (50%) duels and with a pass completion tally of 20/24 (83%).
Carroll 7.8/10
So often the figure of angst, Carroll repaid the faith shown in him by Bruce in the absence of Karlan Grant with a display packed full of all the qualities needed to act as a focal point in attack.
The 33-year-old former Newcastle United star made two clearances and two interceptions in defence to add to a successful tally of 12/21 duels (57%) – winning eight in the air.
In other news, Premier League club sent scout to watch West Brom ace. Read more here.
