West Brom earned a much-needed 2-0 win at Rotherham United last night, with one man dominating the stats.
West Brom headed to South Yorkshire on the back of consecutive defeats against Leicester City and Sunderland respectively.
They were both 2-1 defeats and both sustained in the same manner, with the Baggies conceding late goals on the counter attack.
But Carlos Corberan‘s side earned a routine three points last night thanks to goals from Grady Diangana and Jed Wallace in the second half.
But it was centre-back Cedric Kipre who stole the headlines after a dominant defensive display.
Birmingham Live rated his performance as a 9/10, with journalist Joe Chapman adding:
“Didn’t really put a foot wrong in the first half. Used his body and physicality to win 50-50s and nailed [Jordan] Hugill with a perfectly timed sliding tackle. Even joined in the attack at one stage in the second half and crossed at the byline having won the ball high.”
What the stats say about Cedric Kipre vs Rotherham
Kipre started alongside Kyle Bartley at centre-back and kept Rotherham at bay for the whole 90 minutes.
As per Sofascore, Rotherham ended the night with an xG of only 0.06, with Kipre recording 3 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 4 clearances, as well as winning 4 out of 6 aerial duels and 5 out of 9 ground duels, with 53 out of 61 passes completed.
After spending last season on loan at Cardiff City and impressing, Kipre has since become a key member of the first-team at West Brom, having played in all but one of the Baggies‘ opening 21 Championship fixtures so far this season.
Dominant Kipre becoming a key player at West Brom
Kipre and Bartley are proving to be one of the best and most formidable centre-pairings in the whole division.
And it’s a huge credit to both who’ve had their critics in the past; Kipre joined West Brom way back in 2020 but only now is he really showing fans what he can bring to the table.
And what Kipre brings is solidity; he’s so dominant on the ground and in the air, and he’s a good passer of the ball too, making him ideal for this fluid West Brom system.
The Baggies remain in 5th place of the Championship table and are next in action against Stoke City at The Hawthorns this weekend.
Another win here could bring West Brom level on points with Southampton in 4th.