West Brom: Diangana lauded vs Coventry

West Bromwich Albion winger Grady Diangana was dubbed “exceptional” by journalist Jonny Drury following his winning goal against Coventry City.

The Lowdown: West Brom win

Carlos Corberan’s side made it seven straight wins at The Hawthorns following their 1-0 victory on Friday night, with Diangana netting the winner after only 15 minutes.

The win takes West Brom up to fifth in the Championship table and even more impressively sees them make it seven straight home games without conceding a goal.

They avenged the 1-0 defeat suffered in the reverse fixture between the sides in December, when a 93rd-minute Viktor Gyokeres penalty inflicted the last defeat Corberan’s side tasted in the league.

The Latest: Full-time praise

Speaking in his full-time reaction for the Express & Star, Drury singled out the match-winner, who he believes was one of Albion’s brightest talents, putting in a performance that will hopefully be a springboard for his season.

He said: “I thought Grady Diangana was exceptional for Albion tonight – arguably one of Albion’s best offensive players. His goal was a tap-in, he took it, just hopefully a sign of more to come.”

Fellow reporter Lewis Cox expanded on his reaction to the 24-year-old’s showing, saying:

“We know the quality of the talent can be match-winning, can’t it? It wasn’t dazzling footwork or skills that won the game, it was a poacher-esque far-post tap-in that made all the difference, and good for him.

“Goals and assists like that will be important for him, because he looks to me – and we’ve seen this in his time at Albion – to be a confidence player, and when his tail’s up, when he’s good, he’s very good.”

The Verdict: Can take confidence

Diangana enjoyed a bright start to the campaign under Steve Bruce where he started 15 games, registering five goal involvements.

However, since Corberan’s arrival, the Englishman has started just four times, but the winner on Friday night will go a long way for his confidence, and in Matt Phillips’ absence, he could be on course to win back a regular place in the lineup.

The winger completed his first 90 minutes under Corberan against the Sky Blues and proved his worth all over the pitch, with two tackles and one interception (Sofascore) seeing him also play a key part in the Baggies’ staunch defence.

He had 72 touches and made one key pass alongside an 81% pass completion from out wide compared to Mark Albrighton’s 68% on the other flank. Diangana also completed three out of six dribbles, which shows just how direct and brave in possession he was, but most importantly it was his goal that was ultimately the difference.